A senior Egyptian military official told "Reuters" last night that a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza came into effect at 1 am this morning. He said that both sides had agreed to end the current operations. Neither Israel nor the Palestinians have yet officially confirmed the report.
During the night, air raid alarms were sounded in the Ashkelon and the Shaar Hanegev areas, but no rockets were fired against Israel. The IDF has not made any counterattacks in the Gaza Strip since yesterday evening. A senior Israeli official said earlier that if the rocket fire against Israel stopped, Israel would stop its strikes in the Gaza Strip. He said, "Israel will respond very quietly."
Egyptian Ambassador to the Palestinian Authority Yasser Othman said that he expects calm within 48 hours, despite the difficult situation and Israel's refusal to stop firing. He blamed Israel for what he called its refusal, which makes it difficult for the Palestinian factions to accept the calm. He denied claims by a Hamas MP that Egypt had offered fuel supplies to Gaza in exchange for calming things down.
Earlier yesterday, the IDF said that the Air Force attacked a rocket launch squad in the northern Gaza Strip, as well as a tunnel and two rocket launch sites in the southern Strip. The Palestinians reported an Islamic Jihad activist was killed in the strike.
Since Friday, the Air Force has killed 25 Palestinians in strikes, including 22 terrorists and three civilians. Israel has recorded more than 160 missile hits and the Iron Dome system intercepted 56 missiles fired at cities. The number of missiles fired is close to the number recorded during Operation Cast Lead in January 2009.
No classes in the south today
For the third straight day, there will be no classes at schools within 40 kilometers of the Gaza Strip today, including Ashdod, Ashkelon, Beersheva, Yavne, Gedera, Kiryat Malakhi, Kiryat Gat, Ofakim, Netivot, Rahat, Nahal Sorek, and the Yavne District. Ben Gurion University in the Negev in Beersheva and the Ashkelon Academic College are closed. The Sapir College in Sderot is open.
Meanwhile, tensions between Palestinian factions in Gaza are rising amid attempts to achieve quiet. Islamic Jihad, which was responsible for the latest flare-up, is accusing Hamas of surrendering unconditionally to Israel. An Islamic Jihad spokesman said yesterday that Israel would not stop its attacks in Gaza, and that the organization would expand its missile attacks to other Israeli cities.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 13, 2012
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2012