A ceasefire was in effect on the Gaza Strip on Sunday, drawing people back into the streets after five days of cross-border exchanges killed at least 34 Palestinians and one Israeli.
The truce got off to a rough start after the final 30 minutes running up to the 10pm deadline on Saturday (5am Sunday AEST) saw a volley of fire.
Dozens of rockets were launched from Gaza towards Israel, prompting renewed airstrikes. Most of the rockets were intercepted by Israeli air defences. A few more rockets were fired, followed by fresh Israeli strikes, before things appeared to calm.
Egypt brokered the latest ceasefire, saying it had secured agreement from Israel and the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad.
For days, life in Gaza and Israeli communities near the border had been a daily routine of airstrikes and sirens warning of incoming rocket fire. Residents in the crowded Gaza Strip cowered indoors as the fighting raged, with streets empty and only a few shops and pharmacies open.
A spokesman for the interior ministry in Gaza said on the final day of its campaign the Israeli military had concentrated on “targeting civilians, residential and civilian buildings”.
There had been mounting calls for a ceasefire to be agreed, including from Israel’s closest ally, the US. The White House welcomed the agreement and commended Egypt and Qatar’s roles in defusing hostilities.
Read the article in The Australian (AFP).