An Egyptian-brokered ceasefire in the Gaza conflict is in place for the time being. An Israeli army spokeswoman in Tel Aviv confirmed Monday morning that no new rockets had been fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel since the ceasefire on Sunday evening. The Israeli army did not attack any new targets in the coastal strip either.
After three days of fighting, the ceasefire came into effect at 11:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. CEST). Both sides had previously declared an end to the attacks separately. Israel announced on Monday the opening of border crossings in the Mediterranean coast for humanitarian supplies.
The Israeli military launched the "Dawn" military action on Friday with airstrikes against Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. Two jihadist military chiefs were killed during the operation. The group, which is closely linked to Israel's arch-enemy Iran, has been classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the US.
According to Israeli information, the jihad was planning an attack with anti-tank missiles in the border area with the Gaza Strip before the military operation. The escalation was preceded by the arrest of a PIJ leader in the West Bank, Bassem Saadi, last Monday.
Since Friday, militant Palestinians have fired more than 1,000 rockets at Israeli towns, according to the military. 200 of them hit the Gaza Strip itself.
44 people have been killed and 360 injured in the Gaza Strip since Friday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced on Sunday evening. According to the information, 15 children and 4 women were among the dead. The Palestinians blamed Israel for it. Israel's army, on the other hand, emphasized that misguided jihad rockets had claimed civilian lives in the Gaza Strip.
