Palestinian fedayeen

The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell late Friday accused Israel of having "created" and "financed" the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which launched unprecedented attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.

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.

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.

An Egyptian source and a senior Islamic Jihad official told AFP that a ceasefire came into effect early on Thursday.
The "ceasefire agreement comes as a result of Egypt's efforts" and has been endorsed by "Palestinian factions including Islamic Jihad", said the top Egyptian official.
An Islamic Jihad source confirmed the agreement to AFP.

Israel killed a top commander from the Iranian-backed Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in a rare targeted strike in the Gaza Strip on Nov. 12, while militants responded by firing rockets at Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv.

Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip have announced an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Israel after a severe escalation of violence threatened to descend into full-blown war.

Palestinian militants launched on May 29 their heaviest barrages against Israel since the 2014 Gaza war and Israeli aircraft struck back in a surge of fighting after weeks of border violence.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Oct. 6 he wanted to avoid a violent escalation with Israel as Israeli police lifted restrictions on worship at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in an apparent bid to ease tensions after three weeks of violence.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said on Tuesday two of its members were responsible for the attack in a Jerusalem synagogue that had left four people dead.

Israeli police called the incident a terrorist attack and said the two Palestinian assailants were cousins from east Jerusalem.