jpost and AP
Hamas and Islamic Jihad announced on Monday morning that a ceasefire has been reached with Israel. The ceasefire goes into effect at 4:30 am, the groups said.
Israel did not immediately comment on the announcement, but later in the morning, the Home Front Command lifted all restrictions for Gaza border residents implying a ceasefire was agreed upon.
Hamas said that that “the past few hours saw intensive diplomatic efforts” to achieve a ceasefire agreement. The United Nations, Qatar and Egypt took part in the efforts, Hamas added.
Abu Mujahed, spokesman for the Palestinian Resistance Committees, a coalition of various terror groups in the Gaza Strip, confirmed that the ceasefire went into effect at 4:30 am Monday. “The ceasefire agreement was reached on condition that the occupation implements the previous understandings to lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV confirmed the ceasefire report. A senior Islamic Jihad official in the Gaza Strip also confirmed that a ceasefire has been reached to end the fighting in the Gaza Strip. The agreement, he said, requires Israel to implement the last Egyptian-brokered ceasefire understandings with the Gaza-based groups.
In two days of fighting, more than 600 rockets were launched at Israel, while the Israeli army struck hundreds of targets in the Strip. Four Israelis were killed and four were wounded as rockets fell on the south of Israel. 23 Palestinians, including two pregnant women and two infants, were killed, as Israeli struck hundreds of targets in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointedly noted that “the campaign is not over, and it requires patience and judgment.”
The intense fighting over the past two days came to a halt in the early morning hours and residents on both sides went back to their daily routines. The IDF said that as of 7 a.m., “all protective restrictions in the home front will be lifted.”
I’d like to know what measures and negotiations took place to reach ceasefire? Extortion????! What did Hamas demand??
So the terrorists once again dictated the schedule!…….
Netanyahu ponce again is guilty of Treason against Israel agreeing to yet another phony cease fire with no real response He refuse top take real actions to protect the Nation of Israel & its citizens & no one has said a word not even his own party & why should they he is a bigger liar & con artist then bIll Clinton is & ever was & he will bring down the whole Likud etc. with him if they do not act now his message is a phony one ad Mosai???
They attack our civilians to kill us all… with everything they have Now they need to reload their rockets , This is the opposite of CEASE fire
everyone KNOWS there intentions to reload more and more rockets Rachomono Litzlon …..
What a bunch of nonsense, Israel reached a cease fire, NOT hamas. Abiding by the cease fire agreement is always, only applicable to Israel, ONLY.
Hamas, will continue to fire a barrage of missiles into Israel, as soon as it serves their purpose, cease fire and all.
They just allowed Gaza and Abbas to receive a half billion dollars in cash. Now they can rebuild all the bombed buildings and kill more Jews. Crazy crazy crazy. You need to take back gush Katif and let all the old residents back. Second kill off all the Gaza leadership. No fuel or food trucks. No fishing rights at all. And finally get boats to drive all the Gaza’s looking to escape to Europe. Europe will be forced to take them in or face rioting European arabs. You must start along term program to move them out.