Gaza (November 14, 2018): Children in Israel’s south were heading to school early Wednesday as an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire took effect, putting an end to a brief yet intense flare-up with Gaza.
The truce, announced Tuesday by Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip, came after nearly two days of heavy shelling from both sides that had threatened to descend into full-blown war.
Gaza’s rulers Hamas said they would abide by the ceasefire as long as Israel did the same.
Hardline Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said on Tuesday he did not support stopping the strikes, announced he will be making a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
Sirens began sounding in southern Israel late Sunday, sending tens of thousands running for cover in shelters as around 460 rockets and mortar rounds were fired from Gaza, wounding 27 people, including three severely.
A Palestinian labourer from the occupied West Bank was martyred when a rocket hit a building in the Israeli city of Ashkelon.
In a statement issued late Tuesday, Egypt called on Israel to cease its “military action” in Gaza.
“Egypt’s efforts have been able to achieve a ceasefire between the resistance and the Zionist enemy,” the Gaza groups said.
Related News:
