After three days of intense violence, a truce was announced.

The Palestinian armed group Islamic Jihad has announced that it has accepted a truce agreement with Israel which is due to start at 11:30 p.m. local time (8:30 p.m. GMT, 10:30 p.m. Paris time), after intense Egyptian negotiations.

Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rockets left at least 43 dead, including 15 children, and 311 wounded on the Palestinian side

Islamic Jihad said in a statement that it would "cease hostilities" from 11:30 p.m. local time in accordance with the Egyptian call, but "stressed (its) right to respond to any (new) Israeli aggression".

Shortly before, "Egypt call[ed] all parties to a ceasefire from Sunday 11:30 p.m. local time" in the Gaza Strip, said an official of the Egyptian security services.

In the afternoon, an Egyptian security source claimed to have obtained Israel's agreement for a truce.

"We are grateful to Egypt for its efforts which have resulted in an end to Israeli aggression against our people," Islamic Jihad spokesman Tareq Selmi said in a statement.

“Not long ago, a formula was found for the truce agreement, which includes Egypt's commitment to work for the release of two prisoners” from Islamic Jihad in the hands of Israel , said in a press release Mohammed Al-Hindi, head of the political branch of the group.

Before the announcement of Islamic Jihad, this Palestinian armed movement had launched several rockets in the direction of Israel and Jerusalem, which were intercepted by the Israeli missile defense system according to the army.

In the Gaza Strip, 17 Palestinians including nine children were killed on Sunday in Israeli raids on including Jabaliya, Gaza City and Rafah, said the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian armed movement Hamas in power in this enclave under Israeli blockade. for more than 15 years.

Since the start of the Israeli operation targeting Islamic Jihad in the impoverished enclave on Friday, "43 Palestinians have been martyred, including 15 children" and "311 have been injured", according to a latest report from the ministry.

Before Sunday's rocket fire from Gaza, sirens sounded in the Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Ashkelon area to warn of Palestinian projectiles and residents rushed to shelters.

Fuel and electricity

At the time of the shots into Jerusalem, hundreds of Israelis were celebrating a Jewish holiday in the Old City located in the eastern sector of the Holy City, occupied by Israel.

Jewish nationalists have occasionally visited the Esplanade des Mosques, Islam's third holiest site but also Judaism's holiest site called Temple Mount, prompting condemnation in Arab countries.

In Israel, two people have been slightly injured by rocket fire since Friday, according to rescuers.

The Israeli authorities also claim that some of the Palestinian dead were killed in failed rocket fire from Islamic Jihad towards Israel, which fell in the Palestinian enclave.

In Gaza, the director of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza said his facility urgently needed medicine and electricity to continue treating the wounded.

Gaza's only power plant was closed on Saturday due to a lack of fuel, four days after Israel closed crossings with the enclave citing security concerns.

An operation that would last "as long as necessary", already with "extraordinary results"

The Israeli army on Friday launched its operation presented as a "preemptive attack" against Islamic Jihad, during which its main military leaders in Gaza, Tayssir Al-Jabari and Khaled Mansour, were killed along with several fighters of the group. .

The death of the military leaders was confirmed by the Islamic Jihad, considered "terrorist" by Israel, the United States and the European Union.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the operation in Gaza would continue "as long as necessary", calling the strike that killed Khaled Mansour on Saturday an "extraordinary result".

The Israeli authorities justified their operation launched Friday by their fears of reprisals from the Islamic Jihad after the arrest of Bassem al-Saadi on August 1 in the West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied by Israel.

In the past two days, some 40 Islamic Jihad operatives have been arrested by Israeli forces in the West Bank.

The confrontation between Israel and Islamic Jihad is the worst since that between Israel and Hamas in May 2021. The latter had killed 260 Palestinians in 11 days, including fighters and 14 dead in Israel, including a soldier, according to the local authorities.

With AFP & Reuters

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