Gaza–Israel conflict

Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters in the Gaza Strip agreed to a ceasefire from 10 p.m. on Saturday to end the deadly fighting, the BBC reported, citing Palestinian sources.

The truce was reached in negotiations brokered by Egypt. Israel and Islamic Jihad have yet to comment.

A ceasefire was in effect on the Gaza Strip Sunday, drawing people back into the streets after five days of cross-border exchanges killed at least 34 Palestinians and one Israeli.

The truce got off to a rough start after the final 30 minutes running up to the expected Saturday 10:00 pm (1900 GMT) deadline saw a volley of fire.

Israel and Gaza traded heavy fire on Friday but Egyptian mediators launched a new bid to end days of fighting that has killed dozens, all but one of them Palestinian.

The violence has been met with international calls for de-escalation, with the European Union pushing for an "immediate comprehensive ceasefire".

At least 12 people were killed in the latest air raids on Gaza Strip by Israel's military on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reported, adding that 20 others sustained injuries in an operation conducted early morning.

The Israeli army said it killed three leaders of the Islamic Jihad militant group Tuesday in air strikes on Gaza, which left a dozen dead according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory.

The ministry said that women and children were among the dead, publishing a list of names without ages or detailing any affiliations.

Palestinian militants carried out a pair of attacks on Friday, killing three people and wounding at least seven as tensions soared after days of fighting at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site. Earlier in the day, retaliatory Israeli airstrikes had hit Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, sparking fears of a broader conflict.

Greece condemned on Friday a barrage of rocket attacks against Israel which Israeli military blamed on Palestinian militants and urged both sides to show "restraint", citing the religious holidays.

Israel's military said it attacked targets of the Islamist group Hamas in southern Lebanon and stepped up strikes on the Gaza Strip after yesterday's rocket attacks on Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called an emergency meeting of the security cabinet, and the United Nations called on all parties to exercise restraint.

Israel launched rare strikes in southern Lebanon early Friday and pressed on with bombing targets in the Gaza Strip, marking a widening escalation in the region following violence this week at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site.

They decided to intensify their strike after rocket attacks on Israel from the territory of Lebanon on Thursday.
"The Israeli army will not allow the terrorist organization Hamas to carry out operations from Lebanon, and we hold the state of Lebanon responsible for any attack that comes from its territory," the Israeli army said, Reuters reported.