Gaza: Shell-shocked Monday, Gaza combed through rubble left behind after three days of bloody fighting between militants of Israel and Islamic Jihad, and slowly began to regain power.
After a two-day shutdown, Gaza's only power plant "began to operate to generate electricity," distributor spokesman Mohamed Thabet told AFP as fuel trucks for the plant entered the area.
According to Gaza's health ministry, the fierce fighting that killed 44 people, including 15 children, has been stopped thanks to a ceasefire agreement reached late Sunday.
In the midst of the deadliest fighting in Gaza since the 11-Day War last year, a power outage on Saturday raised concerns about the impact on hospitals and other essential services treating casualties.
According to the Israeli military, the roads in the border area will be gradually reopened.
The military said the ban, which has forced Israelis living near Gaza to live closer to their bomb shelters, would be gradually lifted.
Palestinians in Gaza's airstrike-hit areas tried to recover personal belongings and clear rubble from the rubble of homes destroyed on Monday.
Mohamed Alai, a former resident of Gaza City, called the situation "tragic and difficult" and said, "Gaza is marching to its wounds. We have so many martyrs and wounded, and devastation and destruction."
The ceasefire was welcomed by US President Joe Biden, who thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for his role in brokering his country.
As Egypt agreed to a ceasefire, Israel's Prime Minister Yair Lapid's office thanked it for its efforts, but said that Israel "reserves the right to respond firmly" if the ceasefire is broken.
Acknowledging the ceasefire, Islamic Jihad, an organization backed by Iran and listed as a terrorist organization by several Western countries, said it "reserves the right to respond" to any aggression.
According to Tehran, active resistance will always be defended.
According to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdullahian, the reason for the ceasefire is that the Zionists (Israel) speak only the language of power.
On Friday, Israel launched heavy artillery and aerial bombardment of Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza, after which militants fired hundreds of rockets in retaliation.
Health officials in Gaza said in addition to those killed, an additional 360 were wounded in the Palestinian enclave, which is ruled by the Islamic organization Hamas.
The official said on Monday that most of the civilian casualties in Gaza, according to a senior Israeli diplomat, were caused by Islamic Jihad rockets that missed their targets or misfired.
On Monday, the terrorist group reported the death of 12 of its leaders and members.
According to emergency services, shrapnel struck Israel, injuring three people, while 31 others suffered minor injuries.
The ceasefire agreement includes "Egypt's commitment to work towards the release of two prisoners," according to Islamic Jihad member Mohammed al-Hindi.
They were identified as Khalil Awadh, a terrorist currently in Israeli custody, and Bassem al-Saadi, a senior member of the group's political wing, who was recently detained in the occupied West Bank.
returned to the beach in the Israeli city of Echelon, north of Gaza.
Eitan Casandini claimed while sitting in a cafe that the locals were "feeling great."
"We will be able to rest after destroying them," he told AFP. "I do not believe that jihad will take action once again in the next three to four years."
Although affiliated with Hamas, Islamic Jihad often acts independently. Since its capture of Gaza in 2007, Hamas has waged four wars with Israel, including one in May last year.
Israel has claimed that a "pre-emptive" attack is necessary against Islamic Jihad, but the diplomatic official claimed that the organization was preparing an attack using sniper fire or anti-tank missiles.
Taisir al-Jabri and Khalid Mansour were among senior Islamic Jihad men killed in Gaza by the army.
According to a senior Israeli diplomat, Islamic Jihad had suffered "a very serious setback" that had "taken them back decades".
Israel and Islamic Jihad in Gaza called for cease-fire overnight
Gaza crossing reopens as truce holds between Israel and Islamic Jihad
