Egypt mediates ceasefire between Palestinians and Israel | Abroad

Palestinian militants and Israel have been firing rockets at each other for five days. Dozens of people were killed, mainly on the Palestinian side.

The Israeli military carried out attacks on Thursday on nearly 200 targets in the Gaza Strip. According to Israel, more than 600 rockets have been fired from Gaza since Wednesday, of which just under 200 were intercepted. Thirty people have died in the flare-up of violence in recent days; 29 on the Palestinian side and one person in Israel.

Neighboring Egypt pushed for a ceasefire. A source with contacts within the Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad previously reported to AFP news agency that there was talk in Egypt about the design of such an agreement. However, the Israeli army stated just before midnight (local time) on Thursday that it would continue its attacks against Islamic Jihad.

The international community has also called for calm in the region. The US State Department called the death toll “tragic and heartbreaking” and urged steps to curb the violence. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock declared: “The bloodshed must stop now” and the United Nations warned that the unrest “has a negative impact on the already difficult humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

Last week there were also several rocket attacks back and forth between Gaza and Israel. The rocket fire followed the death of Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan (45), who was on hunger strike and died in an Israeli cell. Adnan was imprisoned because of his position with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The airstrikes are similar to those in August 2022, when Israel bombed the homes of commanders of the Islamic Jihad group. In the process, the Iranian-backed group lost its top two commanders and dozens of other militants.