Hamas, Jihad say ceasefire reached to end Gaza flare-up

Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements in Gaza on Saturday evening announced that a ceasefire has been reached brokered by regional and international parties.

According to Safa news agency, Hamas’s spokesman Hazem Qasem confirmed that regional and international parties have intervened to end the latest escalation in Gaza which started with a series of Israeli airstrikes on the besieged territory followed by a response by the Palestinian resistance.

For his part, spokesman for the Islamic Jihad Daud Shehab said that his Movement agreed to the agreement at Egypt’s request, adding that the ceasefire will start at 8 pm.

He stressed that resistance groups in Gaza will commit to the ceasefire as long as Israel does.

Since the early hours of Saturday, Israeli warplanes have launched over 80 airstrikes on several targets in Gaza. The most heinous attack was the one that hit a building adjacent to a public park in Gaza city killing two children and injuring 25 civilians.

The Palestinian resistance responded by firing dozens of rockets and mortar shells at Israeli settlements neighboring the Gaza Strip. At least 4 Israeli settlers were injured.