Egyptian mediators have said a ceasefire will go into effect in the Gaza Strip on Sunday night. Israel and the Palestinians have both promised not to shoot again. It is unclear what time the ceasefire will take effect.
The Egyptian negotiators say they have agreed with Israel that the ceasefire will take effect at 9 p.m. (Dutch time). The Palestinian side has not yet confirmed that to Egypt. A Palestinian official later spoke of 7 p.m. as the start time for the ceasefire.
Egypt is more likely to mediate when tensions flare up between Israel and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The country is also partly responsible for the total isolation of the population of Gaza by keeping the border of more than 10 kilometers between Egypt and the strip closed.
The lingering conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Territories has flared up again recently. The Israeli army carried out airstrikes on Palestinian targets in Gaza on Friday. Israel said it shot at members of the Islamic Jihad group in the area. They would have previously committed a series of attacks.
The Israeli army says it has killed a senior commander of the jihadists. At least 31 Palestinians, including civilians, have been killed, according to the Palestinian authorities.
In response, the Palestinians bombarded Jerusalem with rockets. Most of those were intercepted by the Iron Dome, the Israeli defense system against missile attacks.