Israel and Palestinian negotiators agreed on Saturday, after mediation by neighboring Egypt, to a ceasefire from 10 p.m. local time. International news agencies report this on the basis of Egyptian media and reports from a spokesperson for Islamic Jihad. A top Islamic Jihad figure spoke in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Thursday about details of a ceasefire. Egypt has urged both sides to abide by the ceasefire. There is no confirmation from Israel yet.
The ceasefire announced follows five days of airstrikes by the Israeli army on Palestinian territory against Islamic Jihad. 33 Palestinians were killed and 147 Palestinians were injured, including women and children. In response, a barrage of rockets was fired into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera, among others, previously reported. Two Israelis were killed.
The violence flared up after Khader Adnan, 45, a former member of Islamic Jihad, was killed in an Israeli prison on a three-month hunger strike. Adnan, 45, was from Jenin in the occupied West Bank and was a Palestinian activist and prominent member of Islamic Jihad. On Thursday, the Israeli army announced the death of Ali Ghali, commander of the movement’s missile launch unit.