Israel, Hamas agree to cease-fire to end bloody 11-day war

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire Thursday halting a bruising 11day war that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip brought life in much of Israel to a standstill and left more than 200 people deadAt 2 am local time just as the ceasefire took effect frenzy life returned to the streets of GazaPeople went out of their homes some shouting ldquoAllahu Akbar or whistling from balconies Many fired in the air celebrating the truceLike the three previous wars between the bitter enemies the latest round of fighting ended inconclusivelyIsrael claimed to inflict heavy damage on Hamas but once again was unable to halt the Islamic militant groups nonstop rocket barragesAlmost immediately Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced angry accusations from his hardline rightwing base that he stopped the operation too soonHamas the Islamic militant group sworn to Israels destruction also claimed victoryBut it now faces the daunting challenge of rebuilding in a territory already suffering from poverty widespread unemployment and a raging coronavirus outbreakNetanyahus office said his Security Cabinet had unanimously accepted an Egyptian ceasefire proposal after recommendations from Israels military chief and other top security officialsA statement boasted of ldquosignificant achievements in the operation some of which are unprecedentedrdquoIt also included a veiled threat against HamasldquoThe political leaders emphasised that the reality on the ground will determine the future of the campaignrdquo the statement saidAlso Read United Nations 38000 Palestinians displaced in GazaThe fighting erupted on May 10 when Hamas militants in Gaza fired longrange rockets toward JerusalemThe barrage came after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the AlAqsa Mosque compoundHeavyhanded police tactics at the compound built on a site holy to Muslims and Jews and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinians by Jewish settlers had inflamed tensionsThe competing claims to Jerusalem lie at the heart of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict and have repeatedly triggered bouts of violence in the pastHamas and other militant groups fired over 4000 rockets into Israel throughout the fighting launching the projectiles from civilian areas at Israeli citiesDozens of projectiles flew as far north as Tel Aviv the countrys bustling commercial and cultural capitalIsrael meanwhile carried out hundreds of airstrikes targeting what it said was Hamas military infrastructure including a vast tunnel networkAt least 230 Palestinians were killed including 65 children and 39 women with 1710 people wounded according to the Gaza Health Ministry which does not break the numbers down into fighters and civiliansTwelve people in Israel including a 5yearold boy and 16yearold girl were killedThe United States Israels closest and most important ally initially backed what it said was Israels right to selfdefense against indiscriminate rocket fireBut as the fighting dragged on and the death toll mounted the Americans increasingly pressured Israel to stop the offensiveIn a rare public rift Netanyahu on Wednesday briefly rebuffed a public call from President Joe Biden to wind things down appearing determined to inflict maximum damage on Hamas in a war that could help save his political careerBut late Thursday Netanyahus office announced the ceasefire agreement Hamas quickly followed suitMilitants continued to launch sporadic rocket at Israel early Friday before the 2 am ceasefire took effectIn Washington Biden hailed the ceasefire ldquoI believe we have a genuine opportunity to make progress and Im committed to working for itrdquo he saidBiden said the US was committed to helping Israel replenish its supply of interceptor missiles for its Iron Dome rocketdefense system and to working with the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority mdash not Hamas mdash to provide humanitarian aid to GazaNetanyahu quickly came under heavy criticism from members of his hawkish nationalist base Gideon Saar a former ally who now leads a small party opposed to the prime minister called the ceasefire ldquoembarrassingrdquoIn a potentially damaging development for the Israeli leader the Palestinian militants claimed Netanyahu had agreed to halt further Israeli actions at the Al Aqsa Mosque and to call off the planned evictions of Palestinians in the nearby Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhoodAn Egyptian official said only that tensions in Jerusalem ldquowill be addressedrdquoHe spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing behindthescenes negotiations and provided no detailsItamar Ben Gvir head of the farright Jewish Power party tweeted that the ceasefire was ldquoa grave surrender to terrorism and the dictates of HamasrdquoThe ceasefire comes at a sensitive time for NetanyahuIn the wake of an inconclusive election in March Netanyahu failed to form a majority coalition in parliamentHis opponents now have until June 2 to form an alternative government of their ownThe war greatly complicated the efforts of his opponents who include both Jewish and Arab parties and were forced to suspend their negotiations in such a fraught environmentBut the inconclusive outcome of the war could give them renewed momentum to restart those talksMeanwhile in Gaza a Hamas spokesman Abdelatif alQanou said Israels announcement was a ldquodeclaration of defeatrdquoNonetheless the group said it would honour the deal which was to officially go into effect at 2 amAli Barakeh an official with Islamic Jihad a smaller group that fought alongside Hamas said Israels declaration of a truce was a defeat for Netanyahu and ldquoa victory to the Palestinian peoplerdquoDespite the claims both groups appeared to have suffered significant losses in the fightingHamas and Islamic Jihad said at least 20 of their fighters were killed while Israel said the number was at least 130 and probably higherSome 58000 Palestinians fled their homes many of them seeking shelter in crowded United Nations schools at a time of a coronavirus outbreakSince the fighting began Gazas infrastructure already weakened by a 14year blockade has rapidly deterioratedMedical supplies water and fuel for electricity are running low in the territory on which Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after Hamas seized power from the Palestinian Authority in 2007 Since then Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has governed autonomous areas of the Israelioccupied West Bank and has limited influence in GazaIsraeli attacks have also damaged at least 18 hospitals and clinics and destroyed one health facility the World Health Organization said Nearly half of all essential drugs have run outIsraeli bombing has damaged over 50 schools across the territory according to advocacy group Save the Children destroying at least six While repairs are done education will be disrupted for nearly 42000 childrenThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever