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TEL AVIV – A fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas leader in Gaza took place this weekend, after one Israeli soldier and three militant group members were killed on Friday during from a series of fights.
A fourth Palestinian was also killed Friday by Israeli security forces during one of the weekly demonstrations on the border between Israel and Gaza.
The truce, which came after Israel conducted a large-scale attack on militant targets inside the Gaza Strip on Friday, eased immediate fears of escalating conflict .
Avigdor Lieberman
Said Sunday that if Hamas continues to refrain from launching kites and flaming balloons, Israel will lift Tuesday the severe restrictions it imposed on Gaza's only commercial crossing earlier this month.
"The people of Gaza must understand that as long as there are incendiary balloons and fires on our side, life on their side will not resume its normal routine," Lieberman told reporters. pbadage, Kerem Shalom. "The key is calm and calm and zero incendiary balloons, zero friction on the border and zero rockets," he added.
Israel declared that it wanted Hamas to stop launching kites and burning balloons they are descending on Israeli territory. He also demanded the end of rocket and mortar fire from Palestinian territory and weekly violent demonstrations at the border. He restricted access by crossing earlier this month, only allowing food, medicine and fuel to pbad in order to pressure Hamas to change course. .
Hamas on Friday killed an Israeli soldier, the first to die in action near the Gaza border since the 2014 war. In response, Israel killed three Hamas members in a mbadive response that included air strikes and tank fire. The Gaza Health Ministry said other people were injured without giving more details about the number of casualties.
On Saturday morning, Hamas announced that it was in agreement with Israel, via Egypt and the United Nations, to restore calm. The Israeli army did not comment directly on the truce, but said it would calm calmly. The weekend's ceasefire, the second this month, came a week after some of the most intense fighting on the border since the 2014 war.
Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel could retake its target on Hamas if it judged the necessary actions. "At the end of the week, we are hitting Hamas very hard and if necessary, we will hit them seven times," he said in a video statement on Sunday.
The UN warned Sunday The Kerem Shalom crossing had begun to have a disastrous effect on basic services in the Gaza Strip.
"At least one hospital was forced to close for a few hours, and services are significantly reduced to others"
Jamie McGoldrick,
UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the Palestinian Territories.
"Given the power cuts of about 20 hours a day, if the fuel does not arrive immediately, people's lives will be at stake, with the most vulnerable patients, such as heart patients. Since March, Palestinians have regularly protested Gaza's barrier separating Israel, calling for the end of the Israeli blockade and the possibility of returning to the land from which they fled during the 1948 war with Israel.
More than 140 Palestinians were killed, including Friday, and thousands were injured in violent clashes with the Israeli military during the weekly demonstrations Some protesters charged the fence, rolling tires on fire and fired Israeli forces also launched Molotov badtails and flaming kites
Israel maintains that many of those killed were Hamas militants and baderts that his security problems require the blockade of Gaza. The Palestinian military say that many protesters are unarmed.
Before the ceasefire, the Israeli army said Saturday it had hit more than 60 Hamas targets late at night, including three Hamas battalions. Activists also fired three rockets from Gaza to Israel on Friday, the Israeli army said, two of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system
– Abu Bakr Bashir in Cairo and Dov Lieber in Tel Aviv contributed to this attack. article
Write to Felicia Schwartz at [email protected]
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