Jerusalem – Hamas Accept Cease-fire; No Word From Israel

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    An Israeli tank drives near the Israel Gaza border, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)Jerusalem – Hamas and other Gaza militant groups said Tuesday they have accepted an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire after launching hundreds of rockets into Israel over the past 24 hours and weathering a wave of punishing Israeli airstrikes.

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    There was no immediate word from Israel on whether it had accepted a deal to halt the heaviest exchange of fire with Gaza’s Hamas rulers since a 2014 war.

    Just an hour before the militants made their declaration, the Israeli Security Cabinet said it had ordered the military to “continue operations as needed,” following a six-hour meeting.

    The cease-fire was announced by a group of Gaza militant groups, including Hamas, whose leader Ismail Haniyeh earlier signaled a readiness to halt the latest round of fighting. He said the Islamic militant group would stop its rocket fire if Israel halts its airstrikes.

    The terms of the deal appeared to be modest. Daoud Shehab, a spokesman for the Islamic Jihad militant group, said each side would promise quiet in exchange for quiet.

    The fighting was triggered by a botched Israeli undercover raid into Hamas-ruled Gaza late Sunday, in which seven Palestinian militants and a high-ranking Israeli officer were killed. International mediators have appealed for restraint, hoping to avert another war.

    The Israeli military said some 460 rockets and mortar rounds have been launched from Gaza since Monday afternoon, with more than 100 of them intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system.

    Israel said it has struck some 160 militant targets in Gaza, including a strike that destroyed Hamas’ TV station. Three other buildings believed to be connected to Hamas were destroyed, it said.

    On Tuesday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said three Palestinians in their 20s were killed in separate airstrikes, raising the number killed since the Israeli offensive began to seven, including five militants. At least 25 people have been wounded.

    Israeli medical officials said a 48-year-old man was found early Tuesday under the rubble of a building hit by a rocket in the southern city of Ashkelon.

    Relatives in the West Bank town of Halhoul identified the man as Mahmoud Abu Asbeh, a Palestinian laborer who had been working in Israel. He left a wife and six children behind.

    “Everyone in town is sad. It’s God’s will and there’s nothing we can do about it,” said his cousin, Jihad Abu Asbeh.

    Nearly 30 people have been wounded in Israel, three critically, according to medical officials.

    The military said jets struck several “key strategic” Hamas targets, including military compounds, rocket launching posts and part of its vast underground tunnel network. Also targeted was a Gaza City building serving Hamas’ military and intelligence forces that houses a munitions warehouse.

    Israel has fought three wars with Hamas since the Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza in 2007. Thousands of Palestinians and scores of Israelis have been killed, while Hamas has remained firmly in power and Israel has faced international criticism.


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    6 Comments
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    Chelmite
    Chelmite
    5 years ago

    What a coincidence – They always declare a cease fire when they need to reload or take a lunch break

    grandbear
    grandbear
    5 years ago

    Bomb them to hell.

    Meloah
    Meloah
    5 years ago

    This is an opportunity for Israel to weaken Hamas as much as possible to postpone a full blown war for later. To blow up as many rockets and rocket launching sites and tunnels to postpone a coordinated conflict with Hezbollah.

    5 years ago

    Get to their military camps, and carpet bomb them, without warning shots. These animals will only slow down when there are too many carcasses of dead terrorists to deal with. They are not honoring a cease fire. It’s re-arm time for them. Until they are either completely without weapons or dead, they will never stop.

    grandbear
    grandbear
    5 years ago

    Iran is pulling the strings here and israel doesn’t want to fight a large war on two borders that iran has given weapons for a war .