Ceasefire holding in Gaza after three days of air strikes and rockets

A ceasefire in Gaza appeared to be holding on Monday afternoon, following three days of violence that saw 43 Palestinians killed and hundreds of thousands of Israelis forced into bomb shelters.

The Egyptian-brokered truce, which took effect at 9.30pm UK time on Sunday evening, ended Israeli air strikes and rocket fire from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is backed by Iran.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 15 children and four women were among the dead, while 311 other people were wounded.

Israel said some civilians were killed by rockets that were misfired by PIJ.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the IDF had targeted two senior commanders and 13 other PIJ members had been killed in its air strikes.

He said such operations would continue  “in a pinpoint and responsible way in order to reduce to a minimum the harm to non-combatants.”

In response, PIJ fired over 600 rockets across the border. The majority were aimed at southern Israel, although air raid sirens were sounded as far north as Jerusalem and the suburbs of Tel Aviv.

Most were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome system.

The weekend’s violence did not escalate to a full-scale conflict in part because Hamas – which rules Gaza – remained on the sidelines of the conflict, unlike the May 2021 war which lasted nearly a fortnight.

British Jewish groups lend their support to the latest operation.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said: “We stand by the State of Israel’s right to protect its citizens from the terrorist organisation, Palestinian Islamic Jihad. PIJ is a proxy of the Ayatollah regime in Iran, which funds, directs, and organizes terrorism across the world.

“Since Friday evening, over 600 rockets have been fired towards Israeli citizens. However, many of these rockets have landed in Gaza, tragically causing a loss of Palestinian life. PIJ are a threat to all innocents.

“We pray for a swift end to this violence and call on all governments around the world to recognise Israel’s right to defend itself against all terrorist threats.”

The National Jewish Assembly said it supported “Israel’s right to defend itself whenever and wherever it sees fit, just as the same right would apply to any other country under attack.”