Israel and Hamas agree Gaza ceasefire

After 11 days of ferocious fighting that has left nearly 250 dead, Israeli leaders and Palestinian militants agree to truce

Israel and Hamas will have reached a ceasefire agreement to end 11 days of violence in Gaza Strip, bringing a halt to the fiercest fighting in decades.

The two sides entered a “mutual and simultaneous” truce from 2am on Friday local time (11pm GMT), Hamas said, after Israel’s security cabinet agreed to put an end to heavy bombardment which has killed more than 230 Palestinians.

Media in Israel quoted one official describing the truce as "quiet in exchange for quiet".

Israeli public broadcaster Kan said the fighting was to halt immediately, but in the countdown to 2am Palestinian rocket salvoes continued and Israel carried out at least one air strike.

Rocket sirens sounded in the south of the country immediately after the announcement was made public.

A statement released by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office shortly after the cabinet meeting ending said that they had accepted an Egyptian initiative for a “mutual ceasefire without any conditions, which will take effect later”.

Each side said it stood ready to retaliate for any truce violations by the other, while Cairo said it would send two delegations to monitor the ceasefire.

Military officials in the meeting heralded Israel’s “great achievements” in the campaign, some of which were “unprecedented”.

“The political leaders emphasised that the reality on the ground will be that which determines the future of the campaign,” the statement said.

A Hamas official confirmed to Reuters a “mutual and simultaneous” ceasefire with Israel has been reached.

The decision came after heavy pressure from the US to halt the Israeli offensive.

President Joe Biden hailed announced ceasefire and said he saw a “genuine opportunity to make progress,” pledging to continue “quiet and relentless diplomacy” towards peace.

He also vowed to replenish Israel’s high-tech Iron Dome missile defence system and reiterated his support for Israel’s “right to defend itself.”

UK Dominic Raab also welcomed the approval of the ceasefire, which he said was “an important step to ending the cycle of violence and loss of civilian life”.

The ceasefire ends 11 days of ferocious fighting that has seen an unprecedented number of rockets rain down on Israel from Gaza, and the Israeli military unleash what its generals have said is one of the most intense slew of airstrikes on the blockaded strip in years.

At least 232 people were killed in Gaza, including 65 children and 39 women, according to the Gaza health ministry. In Israel 12 were killed, including two children and a soldier.

The Israeli military said 4,340 rockets were fired at Israel by militants over the course of the 11 days, far more than the total number of rockets fired during the entire seven week war in 2014. Israel meanwhile struck hundreds of targets in the strip, including multi-storey towers housing homes and media offices, drawing fierce international criticism.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Israel defended its bombardment which also damaged hospitals, schools and water infrastructure, saying it had worked hard to minimise civilian casualties and infrastructure, and blamed Hamas militants for co-locating with civilians.

Rockets from Gaza hit schools, homes and a synagogue. UN officials told The Independent it will “take years” to rebuild Gaza as the UN Palestinian refugee agency launched a funding appeal.

Major infrastructure, including power and sewage plants in the Strip have been impacted, international NGOs and Gaza officials have said.

It has meant that swathes of the strip already have no water or electricity, while untreated sewage from some plants is pouring into the sea.

Aid organisations have begun trying to raise tens of millions of dollars to help. Israeli officials have meanwhile accused Hamas of rocketing vital electricity power lines.

Palestinians, many of whom had spent 11 days huddled in fear of Israeli shelling, poured into Gaza’s streets as the ceasefire began. Mosque loud-speakers feted “the victory of the resistance achieved over the occupation”.

In Israel, radio stations that had carried around-the-clock news and commentary switched back to pop music and folk songs.

Palestinians and large portions of the international community have condemned Israel itself for provoking the most recent round of conflict, the most intense in decades, due to previous restrictions at key sites in Jerusalem, riot police attacking Muslims at the Al-Aqsa mosque, and attempts to forcibly evict Palestinians from occupied Palestinian territory in East Jerusalem, which the UN said could amount to war crimes.