Israel officially confirmed the start of an Egyptial-brokered ceasefire late Saturday night with Gaza’s Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. It didn’t last very long.
“National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi, under the direction of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and expressed the State of Israel’s appreciation for Egypt’s vigorous efforts to bring about a ceasefire,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement late Saturday night.
“The head of the National Security Council clarified that Israel’s response to the Egyptian initiative means “quiet will be answered with quiet, and if Israel is attacked it will continue to do everything it needs to do in order to defend itself.”
The text of the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire said, “The two sides will abide by the ceasefire which will include an end to targeting civilians, house demolition, and an end to targeting individuals immediately when the ceasefire goes into effect,” according to Egypt’s Al-Qahera News channel.
Tarek Salmi, A spokesperson for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group told the Al Jazeera network, “The resistance succeeded in forcing the Zionist enemy (Israel) to stop the assassinations.” According to the text of the ceasefire agreement published by the Qatar-based news outlet, Israel agreed to “stop harming people.”
Although the ceasefire was to start at 10 pm, the terror group fired particularly heavy barrages of rocket fire targeting central and southern Israel about 15 minutes before the ceasefire allegedly went into effect, took a seven-minute break and then launched two more barrages.
Then the skies fell silent, at least until 11:11 pm, when rockets were again fired briefly at communities in the Gaza Envelope.
In response to the repeated ceasefire violations, the IDF renewed its attacks on terror targets in Gaza, which continued past midnight.
Three people were injured while racing for shelter in Bat Yam and Holon following the 15-minute barrage that preceded the “ceasefire,” and an unexploded rocket was found in Rishon Lezion, where a bomb squad was summoned, and a controlled explosion was planned.
“We repeat and remind you that it’s not over until it’s over,” the Ashdod municipality warned in a message sent earlier in the evening to the city’s residents. “The last rocket can do just as much damage as the first rocket. Continue to obey the directives of the Home Front Command and stay near protected spaces. Remember: Home Front Command guidelines save lives.”
While terrorists were firing rockets at Israel, Israeli combat aircraft continued to bomb terrorist targets in Gaza in response. Among the other targets, IAF aircraft hit two underground rocket launchers and a PIJ military post used to train terrorists in Gaza, the IDF spokesperson said.
