Israel army, Palestinian militants reach ceasefire
http://www.hrlnews.com/2019/05/israel-army-palestinian-militants-reach.html
The Israeli army on Monday lifted
protective restrictions on residents in southern Israel, while the Hamas
militant group’s radio station in the Gaza Strip reported a ceasefire,
signalling a deal had been reached to end the bloodiest fighting between
the two sides since a 2014 war.
There was no official ceasefire
announcement from either side, but the intense fighting over the past
two days appeared to come to a sudden halt in the early morning hours.
The Israeli military announced its
decision, saying: “As of 7 a.m., all protective restrictions in the home
front will be lifted.”
Schools and roads had been closed, and
residents had been encouraged to remain indoors and near bomb shelters
as intense rocket fire pounded the area.
In Gaza, Hamas’ Al-Aqsa radio station
had a short item saying a ceasefire had been reached. However, neither
the strip’s Hamas rulers nor the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group
that is active in Gaza issued any formal announcement.
Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies and
have fought three wars and numerous smaller battles since the Islamic
militant group seized control of Gaza in 2007.
In the latest fighting, which erupted
over the weekend, Palestinian militants fired hundreds of rockets into
Israel, while the Israeli military responded with air strikes on dozens
of targets inside Gaza.
Palestinian medical officials reported
23 deaths, including at least nine militants as well as two pregnant
women and two babies. Four Israelis also were killed from incoming fire,
the first Israeli fatalities from rocket fire since the 50-day war in
2014.
Egyptian mediators had been working with
the United Nations to broker a ceasefire. Under past Egyptian-brokered
deals, Israel has agreed to ease a crippling blockade of Gaza in
exchange for a halt to rocket fire.
The latest fighting broke out after Palestinian militants accused Israel of not honouring an earlier ceasefire deal from March.