Wednesday, November 14, 2018

On Tuesday, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, among other Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip, announced a ceasefire agreement with Israel. The agreement was brokered by Egypt and the United Nations.

A renewal of violence between Israel and militants in Gaza occurred on Monday and Tuesday. According to Hamas, hostilities resumed as a consequence of an Israeli raid within Gaza. The raid operation occurred on Sunday, killing seven Palestinian militants and an Israeli officer.

About 400 rockets were fired from Gaza. Israel’s Iron Dome air defensive system intercepted some of these, some missed their targets, but some still reached cities. Israel, meanwhile, launched over 100 aerial strikes on militant targets, and naval strikes against Hamas ships.

The latest confrontation marks the worst fighting between the two sides since 2014. The Palestian Ministry of Health reported seven Palestinians were killed, and Israel announced a Palestinian from Hebron was killed in a rocket strike on a residential building in Ashkelon. Others also suffered wounds, especially shrapnel wounds.

Prior to the recent violence, Israel and Hamas were making progress on a long-term diplomatic solution involving financial aid for Gaza. Israel’s assistance was to come with the condition that Hamas crack down on protests along the Israeli-Gazan border, as well as restrict flying incendiary kites into Israel.