After 11 Days Of War, Israel-Hamas Agrees To Ceasefire

The remains of buildings left over from Israeli airstrike. (Wikimedia Commons/Masser)

JAKARTA - The Palestinian Authority and Hamas Armed Groups agreed to a ceasefire, after 11 days of war that killed hundreds of residents and wounded thousands more.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says its security cabinet has voted unanimously in support of the Gaza ceasefire.

"Reciprocal and unconditional" as Egypt proposes as a mediator, reported by Reuters on Friday, May 21, though Israel has not yet determined when the ceasefire will take effect.

Meanwhile, two armed groups in Palestine, Islamic Jihad and Hamas said the ceasefire deal took effect from Friday at 2 a.m. local time.

Hamas says the ceasefire will benefit both warring and simultaneous sides.

"The Palestinian resistance will abide by this agreement as long as the Israeli side does the same," said Taher Al-Nono, media adviser to Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh.

However, Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida threatened to fire rockets that would reach the rest of Israel, if it violated the ceasefire or there was an attack on Gaza.

"With God's help, we can humiliate the enemy, his fragile entity, and his savage army," he said.

Israel itself said the ceasefire would not be accompanied by the withdrawal of its troops from Jerusalem, as requested by Hamas.

Separately, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered two security delegations to Israel and the Palestinian Territories to work to enforce the ceasefire, Egyptian State TV said.

Since the fighting began on May 10, health officials in Gaza said 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, had been killed and more than 1,900 wounded by Israeli airstrikes.

Meanwhile, Israel says it has killed at least 160 fighters in Gaza. Regarding the casualties on his part, Israel said 12 people were killed and hundreds were treated for injuries in rocket attacks that caused panic and prompted people to rush to shelters.