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Israel kills second Palestinian Islamic Jihad chief in Gaza

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TEL AVIV — Israel and militants within the Gaza Strip have agreed to a cease-fire after greater than two days of airstrikes and rocket assaults that killed 43 individuals and injured greater than 300 in Gaza and compelled hundreds of Israelis to shelter in bunkers.

The Islamic Jihad militant group mentioned in an announcement that it had agreed to stop hostilities beginning at 11:30 p.m. native time Sunday. The breakthrough got here as situations inside Gaza have gotten more and more dire, with electrical energy provides dwindling and hospitals warning that very important providers are near collapse.

Israel mentioned in an announcement that it agreed to the cease-fire however that it “maintained the best to reply strongly” to any violation of the settlement.

Below the settlement, Israel would halt the airstrikes it has been conducting in Gaza since Friday, throughout which two senior Islamic Jihad leaders have been killed. Islamic Jihad was required to halt rocket assaults; it had fired greater than 600 projectiles towards Israel, together with Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, the overwhelming majority of which have been intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air-defense techniques.

The cease-fire ended greater than two days of intense cross-border violence that began Friday, when Israel killed Islamic Jihad’s Tayseer Jabari, the group’s chief of operations within the northern Gaza Strip. On Saturday, Israel killed Khaled Mansour, the top of the Islamic Jihad’s operations in southern Gaza, in an airstrike that demolished a home in Rafah close to the border with Egypt.

Israeli and Palestinian diplomats had mentioned Sunday afternoon that talks on a cease-fire, via Egyptian and Qatari again channels, have been progressing.

The violence continued as negotiators labored. Photographs on social media confirmed among the most harrowing scenes of an escalation that has killed 11 kids, in keeping with the Palestinian Well being Ministry. The movies included an individual hit by a blast whereas using a horse and a person operating from the scene of the strike with the bloody physique of a toddler.

Rocket barrages triggered air raid sirens round southern and central Israel late Sunday, together with close to Ben Gurion Airport, the place officers briefly paused landings after air-defense missiles blew up at the least one projectile close to strategy routes.

The Israeli military mentioned it had struck greater than 140 Islamic Jihad targets and “neutralized” the group’s high brass and property, together with tunnels utilized by militants to hold out assaults, weapons storage services and rocket-launch websites.

There have been no reported deaths in Israel, the place the Iron Dome missile protection system has intercepted about 97 p.c of the roughly 470 rockets fired from Gaza since Friday, in keeping with the Israeli navy. It mentioned about 20 p.c have misfired and landed in Gaza.

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill senior militant chief, at the least 9 others

Within the refugee camp of Jabaliya, within the northern Gaza Strip, an explosion on Saturday evening killed at the least 4 kids. The Israeli navy, which shared satellite tv for pc footage of rocket fireplace from the enclave, mentioned that the fatalities have been the results of a failed Islamic Jihad rocket launch and that it didn’t conduct an airstrike on the time of the blast. It mentioned it was nonetheless investigating the circumstances of an explosion in Jabaliya on Sunday morning.

A spokesman for the Gaza Inside Ministry, Eyad al-Bozom, mentioned Israel “bears full accountability for this crime and all of the crimes it commits throughout its brutal aggression towards our individuals within the Gaza Strip.”

Muhammad Abu Qaida, from Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, mentioned his cousin, Naama Abu Qaida, 56, was amongst these killed within the Israeli operation. He mentioned she and her household have been in a parked automobile close to their house, heading to her daughter’s wedding ceremony. Abu Qaida mentioned two of his members of the family have been taken to the hospital in vital situation.

“We didn’t count on something to occur within the space, and there was nothing fired from the realm,” Abu Qaida mentioned. “It’s lots of of meters away from the Erez Crossing and is uncovered to Israel.”

A U.N. delegation from the United Arab Emirates, which serves because the representatives of Arab international locations within the worldwide physique and has been increasing ties with Israel lately, formally filed a movement to convene the Safety Council on behalf of the Palestinians.

The Israeli operation, code-named Breaking Daybreak, comes simply over a yr after Israel’s Could 2021 conflict in Gaza with Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the enclave.

The rockets focusing on Jerusalem come as observant Jews mark the vacation of Tisha B’av, throughout which greater than 2,000 Jews ascended a contested holy web site often called the Temple Mount by Jews and because the Noble Sanctuary by Muslims.

The elevated esplanade is formally managed by Jordanian authorities, which ban non-Muslim prayer atop the location, although the coverage has been more and more violated lately by an increase in politically energetic Jewish worshipers. Clashes between Israeli safety forces and Palestinian demonstrators at and across the flash-point web site led to the 11-day conflict final yr, which killed greater than 200 individuals in Gaza and 12 individuals in Israel.

Itamar Ben Gvir, the chief of a far-right Israeli motion and an advocate for permitting prayer for guests of all religions on the Temple Mount, visited the location on Sunday morning, flanked by police, and shouted, “The nation of Israel lives!” Palestinians round him countered, “God is nice!”

“We’ll by no means give up, to not the missiles, to not the threats of the terrorists and to not these of us who assault me,” Ben Gvir mentioned on Twitter, together with a photograph of his son on the Temple Mount.

The most recent spherical of preventing started final week when Israel arrested the Islamic Jihad chief within the West Financial institution, Bassem al-Saadi, as a part of ongoing raids that adopted assaults by Palestinian residents of Israel and different Palestinians within the spring.

A senior Israeli official, talking on the situation of anonymity due to the delicate safety scenario, mentioned Sunday that Israeli safety forces arrested 20 Islamic Jihad operatives in in a single day raids within the West Financial institution, along with 19 the earlier evening.

Over the 2 days of preventing, Hamas has not claimed accountability for the rocket strikes on Israel. Israel blames the group for all such assaults originating from the Gaza Strip, and Israeli analysts say any Hamas involvement on this spherical of preventing would elevate the scope of the Israeli operation.

Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh mentioned “intensive efforts with all events” have been underway.

A Center East official mentioned that “talks are underway with Egypt to succeed in a cease-fire,” talking on the situation of anonymity due to the fragility of the mediation.

A senior Israeli official talking on the situation of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the scenario mentioned Israel was ready to open humanitarian corridors, present gas for mills and ship hospital provides as quickly because the rockets cease.

“Quiet shall be answered with quiet,” he mentioned. “As soon as the Islamic Jihad cease firing and Hamas will get a deal with on issues, it might occur in a short time.”

Balousha reported from Gaza Metropolis; Miriam Berger in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

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