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People wave the Palestinian flag as they celebrate in the street following a ceasefire brokered by Egypt between Israel and the two main Palestinian armed groups in Gaza on 21 May, 2021

International

Israeli Firing Squad @ Rest: 11 days Of Aggression Comes to An End after Israel-Hamas Agree to Ceasefire

Only Palestinians can feel the fire burn. The Israeli cabinet approves Egypt’s ceasefire offer amid international pressure to end brutalities in Palestine

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement which controls the Gaza Strip, came into force early Friday after 11 days of deadly fighting that pounded the Palestinian enclave and forced countless Israelis to seek shelter from rockets.

Celebrations were heard on Gaza streets in the minutes after the truce began as cars honked their horns and some guns were fired in the air.

Palestinians celebrate the ceasefire brokered by Egypt between Israel and the ruling Hamas Islamic movement in Gaza City on May 21, 2021. – A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement which controls the Gaza Strip, came into force early on May 21, 2021, after 11 days of deadly fighting that pounded the Palestinian enclave and forced countless Israelis to seek shelter from rockets.

The ceasefire brokered by Egypt, which also included Gaza’s second-most powerful armed group, Islamic Jihad, was agreed upon following mounting international pressure to stem the bloodshed which erupted on May 10.

What did Biden Say?

 US President Joe Biden said he commended Mr. Netanyahu in a phone call after the ceasefire agreement was announced.

 He said the US – Israel’s closest and most important ally – fully supports the country’s “right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks from Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist groups that have taken the lives of innocent victims”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s

A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the security cabinet had “unanimously accepted the recommendation of all of the security officials … to accept the Egyptian initiative for a mutual ceasefire without pre-conditions”.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad also confirmed the ceasefire in statements.

The Israeli statement said its aerial campaign had made “unprecedented” achievements in Gaza, a territory it has blockaded since 2007, the year of Hamas’s takeover.

“The political leadership emphasizes that it is the reality on the ground that will determine the future of the operation,” it added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday he would be “prepared at any time to go to Israel, to the Middle East, if that would serve the purpose of moving beyond the violence and helping to work on improving lives for Israelis and Palestinians alike”.

Israel-Hamas conflict before the Egypt-brokered ceasefire.

Fighting erupted earlier this month after weeks of tensions in Jerusalem, notably over planned evictions of Palestinians from their homes in east Jerusalem to make way for Jewish settlers, and clashes at the sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

The Israeli army said Hamas and other Islamist armed groups in Gaza have since fired more than 4,300 rockets towards Israel, but the overwhelming majority of those headed for populated areas were intercepted by its Iron Dome air defenses.

The rockets have claimed 12 lives in Israel, including two children and an Israeli soldier, with one Indian and two Thai nationals among those killed, the police say.

Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, as well as fighters, and have wounded another 1,900, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Vast areas have been reduced to rubble and some 120,000 people have been displaced, according to Hamas authorities.

Diplomatic sources told AFP in Cairo that “two Egyptian delegations will be dispatched to Tel Aviv and the Palestinian territories to monitor it’s (the ceasefire) implementation and procedures to maintain stable conditions permanently.”

UN chief Antonio Guterres, who also welcomed the deal, said Israel and the Palestinians now had a responsibility to have “a serious dialogue to address the root causes of the conflict.”

He also called on the international community to work with the UN on a “robust package of support for a swift, sustainable reconstruction and recovery”.

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