Gaza truce after Israeli strikes on soldiers' deaths

A ceasefire announced by Hamas is largely held on Saturday after a wave of deadly strikes in the Palestinian enclave brought about by the death of an Israeli soldier shot near the border

Since then, no Israeli air raid has been reported on the frozen enclave or on the mortar fire from Gaza to Israel.

"With the efforts of Egypt and the UN, we have) to return to the state of previous calm between the (Israeli) occupation and the Palestinian factions," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement

. Netanyahu's office refused to confirm that a truce had been concluded

"All we can say is that there was no d & # 39; Israeli incidents or attacks in the Gaza Strip since the last wave of airstrikes on Friday night ". A woman told AFP on Friday that three Hamas militants were killed while air raids blew fireballs into the Gaza sky, while Israel said rockets had been drawn on its territory. A fourth Palestinian was shot dead during demonstrations near the border

The UN urged all parties to "come back from the edge" after months of increasing tension

The soldier, shot down along the border in southern Gaza, he was the first to be killed in and around the Palestinian enclave since the war between Israel and Hamas in 2014.

Friday's outbreak is the latest since the Demonstrations and clashes at the border killed at least 149 Palestinians. The Israeli army said it hit 60 Hamas sites, including weapons manufacturing sites, a drone warehouse and a military operations room

The ceasefire is the second since a week. Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza since the 2014 war.

A photo taken on July 20, 2018 shows a bomb blast in Gaza City during the Israeli bombing