Islamic Jihad and Israel agree to truce as Gaza toll mounts
5961 Min Read
Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad reportedly agreed to a ceasefire on Thursday morning, putting a tentative end to two days of hostilities that killed at least 32 Palestinians.
The worst surge in fighting around the Palestinian enclave was sparked on Tuesday when Israel killed Islamic Jihad’s top Gaza field commander in an air strike, accusing him of masterminding a spree of recent attacks and planning more soon.
As Islamic Jihad fighters responded with hundreds of rocket launches that reached as far as Tel Aviv and paralysed parts of Israel, it pressed the aerial barrage on the Gaza Strip.
Thirty-one more Palestinians, including one Islamic Jihad field commander, were killed and at least 97 were wounded in Israeli strikes Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday early morning. It is as yet unclear how many of those killed were non-combatants.
As of the latest estimates, which are likely to go up significantly, Israel’s Iron Dome defense system intercepted 90 percent of 300 rockets launched from Gaza. The rockets were fired as far north as Tel Aviv, shutting schools in central and southern Israel and forcing one million children to stay at home.
