Egypt, Pakistan eye collaboration on strategic crops, livestock development    Egypt's EDA, MSD discuss localising biopharma production    Egypt's PM orders 60,000 new homes for Alexandria's unsafe buildings    Crystal Martin to build large-scale textile, apparel factory in Egypt    Egypt urges EU support for Gaza ceasefire, reconstruction at Brussels talks    Escalation in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes intensify, ceasefire talks stagnate    Agriculture Minister discusses boosting agricultural cooperation with Romania, Moldova    Pakistan names Qatari royal as brand ambassador after 'Killer Mountain' climb    Health Ministry denies claims of meningitis-related deaths among siblings    Egypt's gold prices grow on July 13th    Sri Lanka's expat remittances up in June '25    Egypt's Health Min. discusses drug localisation with Sandoz    Egypt, Mexico discuss environmental cooperation, combating desertification    Needle-spiking attacks in France prompt government warning, public fear    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt, France FMs review Gaza ceasefire efforts, reconstruction    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger        Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt's GAH, Spain's Konecta discuss digital health partnership    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Islamic Jihad, Israel announce truce in Gaza calming worst fighting in months
Published in Amwal Al Ghad on 14 - 11 - 2019

Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said it was holding fire from the Gaza Strip on Thursday after Israel agreed to an Egyptian-mediated truce, calming the worst surge in fighting in months.
The truce was declared from 0330 GMT, the group's spokesman, Musab Al-Braim, said, marking about 48 hours since Israel sparked the exchange of fire by killing the faction's top Gaza commander in an air strike, deeming him an imminent threat.
A total of 34 Palestinians, almost half of them civilians, have been killed, while hundreds of rocket launches by militants paralyzed much of southern Israel. Hamas, Gaza's dominant faction, stayed out of this round of fighting
An Egyptian official contacted by Reuters confirmed a truce had been reached. Israel's Army Radio said emergency regulations imposed on areas within range of Gaza rockets were being eased.
Al-Braim said Israel had accepted Islamic Jihad's demand that it stop both the targeted killing of militants and lethal army gunfire at weekly Palestinian protests on the Gaza border.
"The ceasefire began under Egyptian sponsorship after the Occupation (Israel) submitted to the conditions set by Islamic Jihad on behalf of Palestinian resistance factions," Al-Braim said.
But Israel said it would observe a simpler quid-pro-quo of holding fire if Palestinian militants did so first.
"Quiet will be answered with quiet," Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Army Radio, denying there were wider policy reviews.
Israeli targeted killings "will not cease," he said, and "the open-fire policy for which the Israel Defense Forces is responsible (at the Gaza border) will not change".
Gaza appeared to have fallen mostly silent at the hour cited by Islamic Jihad, with the exception of a lone rocket launch witnessed by a Reuters correspondent and the sounding of sirens in some outlying Israeli towns.
Earlier on Thursday, an Israeli missile strike killed six members of a Palestinian family and wounded 12 people, all of them civilians, medical officials and residents said.
Israel's Army Radio said the head of the family, who was among the dead, was a Palestinian rocket commander. This could not immediately be confirmed by Reuters. The Israeli military said it was investigating the civilian deaths in the incident.
The United Nations, which had mediated a truce alongside Egypt, suggested the Gaza situation could still prove tenuous.
"The coming hours and days will be critical. ALL must show maximum restraint and do their part to prevent bloodshed. The Middle East does not need more wars," tweeted U.N. envoy Nickolay Mladenov.


Clic here to read the story from its source.