Israel: A tenuous ceasefire agreement to end fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza that had lasted almost three days held through the night and into Monday morning, indicating that the most recent round of violence may have subsided.
It added to the destruction and misery that have long plagued Gaza, which has been under blockade, and was the worst fighting between Israel and Gaza militant groups since an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers last year.

Israeli aircraft have been pounding targets in Gaza since Friday while the militant Palestinian Jihad group, which is backed by Iran, has launched hundreds of rockets at Israel.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that over the course of three days of fighting, 43 Palestinians—including 15 children and four women—were killed and 311 others were injured. Israel claimed that errant rockets were responsible for the deaths of some people.

Israel stated on Monday that it was reopening Gaza crossings in stages for humanitarian reasons and would do so fully if peace was maintained.

During the violence, thousands of Israelis' daily lives were disrupted. The military announced Monday that security measures recently imposed on residents of southern Israel were being gradually lifted.
The ruling Hamas party in Gaza stayed out of the fighting, possibly out of fear of Israeli retaliation and the potential unravelling of economic agreements with Israel that support its control over the coastal strip and include Israeli work permits for thousands of Gaza residents. As a result, the violence that had threatened to turn into another all-out war was eventually contained.

In response to the arrest last week of another senior Islamic Jihad member in the West Bank, Israel said there were "concrete threats" of an anti-tank missile attack against Israelis and thus began its operation on Friday by striking an Islamic Jihad leader. Following a wave of Palestinian attacks against Israel, Israeli forces conducted several months' worth of West Bank raids to round up suspects before making that arrest.

In an attack on Saturday, it killed a further leader of the Islamic Jihad.
Israel claimed that some of the fatalities in this round were brought on by errant rocket fire, including one incident on Saturday that left six Palestinians dead in the Jebaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. Two men were killed on Sunday when a projectile in the same Jebaliya neighbourhood struck a home. While Israel claimed it was looking into whether an errant rocket had hit the area, the Palestinians blamed Israel.

For Israel's acting Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who lacks experience in commanding military operations, the outburst of violence was a significant test. Nevertheless, he launched the offensive less than three months before a general election in which he is running for re-election.

President Joe Biden expressed his appreciation for the cease-fire between Israel and the militants based in Gaza.
In a statement released on Sunday, he said that the United States had collaborated with officials from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, and other countries in the region over the previous 72 hours to promote a speedy settlement of the conflict.
A Monday emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was scheduled to discuss the violence. The United Arab Emirates, who represents Arab countries on the council, as well as China, France, Ireland, and Norway requested the session be scheduled, and China, which is currently holding the council presidency, did so in response.

Tor Wennesland, the UN's Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said in a statement, "We reiterate our commitment to do all we can to stop the ongoing escalation, ensure the safety and security of the civilian population, and follow-up on the Palestinian prisoners file.
According to the Israeli army, terrorists in Gaza fired about 580 rockets at Israel. Many of them, according to the army's air defences, were intercepted, with two of them being fired at Jerusalem when they were shot down. Compared to Hamas, Islamic Jihad has fewer fighters and supporters.

Comparatively speaking to Hamas, Islamic Jihad has fewer fighters and supporters, and little is known about its arsenal. Both organisations support the destruction of Israel, but they have different goals; Hamas is constrained by requirements of government.
Hamas had a compelling reason to stay out of another conflict. The 2.3 million Palestinian residents of the impoverished territory have suffered a staggering loss as a result of the Israel-Hamas war last year, one of four major conflicts, and several smaller battles over the past 15 years.

Israel and Hamas have made tacit agreements over the past year based on exchanging calm for work permits and a slight easing of the border blockade, which was put in place by Israel and Egypt when Hamas took control of the region 15 years ago. Israel has granted 12,000 work  permits to labourers in Gaza and has indicated that it may issue another 2,000.

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