In the Gaza Strip, Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire.
The truce brought an end to an 11-day conflict in which Gaza’s armed groups fired 4,000 rockets toward Israel and the Israeli army hit 1,500 targets in Gaza.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 243 individuals were murdered in Gaza, including more than 100 women and children. Israel asserted that it killed at least 225 militants during the fighting.
A ceasefire is simply a declaration by both sides that they will not continue the fighting either indefinitely or for a limited period.
It is quite possible to resume fighting at some point, and this ruling comes based on previous confrontations between Israel and Hamas, which ended with a ceasefire.
Last Friday at 02:00 local time, the two sides decided to call a cease-fire (23:00 GMT Thursday).
There were allegations of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and missiles fired into Israel in the days running up to the deadline.
Few specifics have been made public, as negotiations for a ceasefire are ongoing behind the scenes.
Egypt and Qatar, as well as other regional heavyweights, took part in the talks as did the United States and the United Nations.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying that Israel had agreed to a “mutual and unconditional” cessation of hostilities.
Israeli air raids on Gaza have achieved “amazing success,” according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who did not associate them with Hamas.
Israel reportedly authorized a border into the Gaza Strip to reopen to allow humanitarian aid into the area.
The majority of Israel’s emergency travel restrictions have been lifted and flights will restart in a few days.
The ceasefire agreement negotiated by the two parties is not time-limited, and world leaders have expressed their hope that it will last indefinitely.
According to reports, Egypt stated it will send two delegations to monitor the truce, one to Tel Aviv and the other to Gaza, and the two missions will look for ways to keep the ceasefire in place indefinitely.
“We thank Egypt, the United Nations, the United States, and other nations that played a part in mediating a ceasefire between the two sides,” the European Union said in a statement.
