Israel and Islamic Jihad agree to Gaza truce
GAZA CITY: Israel and militants in Gaza agreed to cease hostilities
yesterday after Egypt brokered a “mutual truce” following four days of
bloodletting which left 25 Gazans dead.
Under the agreement, which came into force at 1:00am (2300 GMT on
Monday), both Israel and militants from Islamic Jihad, who have been
responsible for the lion's share of the rockets lobbed at southern
Israel, agreed to hold their fire, an Egyptian intelligence official
told AFP. Israeli officials and Islamic Jihad both confirmed that a deal
was in place, although they were quick to warn that the agreement would
be short lived if the other side stepped out of line.
“There is an understanding, and we are following what's going on in
the field,” Home Front Defence Minister Matan Vilnai told Israeli public
radio.
“Apparently things are calming down and this round of confrontations
appears to be behind us.” And in Gaza, an Islamic Jihad spokesman said
the radical group was willing to respect the deal if Israel would end
its targeted killings of militants.
“We accept a ceasefire if Israel agrees to apply it by ending its
aggressions and assassinations,” Daud Shihab told AFP.
News of the agreement emerged early on Tuesday after Egypt brokered
what the Egyptian intelligence official said was a “comprehensive and
mutual” truce.
“An agreement on ending the current operations between the two sides,
including a halt to assassinations, entered into force at 1:00 am,” he
told AFP, saying the deal was reached after the Egyptians held
“intensive contacts” with both sides.
But the Israel minister denied there was any agreement to halt the
military's campaign of assassinations.
“Anyone who is involved in terrorism against Israel needs to know
that they are in our sights,” he warned.
There was no immediate comment from Gaza's Hamas rulers, who have
been seeking Cairo's help to restore calm, and whose armed wing has not
been firing rockets at Israel. Since the agreement came into force, the
number of rockets being fired at Israel dropped dramatically, with
police reporting only two hitting the southern areas which did cause any
injuries or damage. And the skies over Gaza were calm.
The announcement came after four days of violence that began on
Friday with Israel's assassination of the head of the Popular Resistance
Committees, a militant group.
The strike prompted militants to fire hundreds of rockets and mortar
rounds into southern Israel, wounding five people and prompting
authorities to shut down schools within firing range of Gaza.
The Israeli military carried out dozens of air strikes during the
flare-up, saying it was targeting militants and weapons facilities. AFP
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