Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups have accepted an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire to end two days of intense fighting with Israel, which saw 400 rockets fired from Gaza and over 100 Israeli airstrikes. The deal, also brokered by the UN, was announced late on Tuesday, bringing a halt to the worst outbreak of violence in months.
The fighting erupted after a botched Israeli special forces raid inside Gaza on Sunday, which left a Hamas commander and an Israeli lieutenant colonel dead. In response, militants launched rockets, prompting Israeli air strikes on more than 100 sites, including residential buildings and a Hamas-run television station.
Israeli civilians spent nights in shelters as rockets rained down, while Palestinians in Gaza cowered in basements from the airstrikes. Five people were killed in Gaza, including two militants, and a Palestinian man living in Israel was killed by a rocket in Ashkelon. Twenty Israelis were wounded.
The ceasefire was accepted by Hamas and smaller militant groups, but Israel did not immediately comment. However, by nightfall, rocket attacks and airstrikes had ceased. A UN Security Council meeting ended without resolution, according to Kuwait's ambassador.
Israel's military said the 400 rockets fired since Monday represented one of the highest concentrations from Gaza in such a short period. The IDF warned that Hamas still has a stockpile of about 20,000 mortars and rockets. Hamas had threatened to fire longer-range missiles if Israel continued its sorties.
