Israel, the United States and the United Nations thanked Egypt for its role in a delicate mediation Ceasefire Saturday night brought five days of intense fighting between the two sides to a cautious end, along with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group in Gaza.
National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegby expressed his gratitude to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi for his efforts to mediate the agreement, according to a brief statement on Saturday from the prime minister’s office.
Hanegby stressed that “silence will be answered with silence, and if Israel is attacked and threatened, it will do whatever it needs to do to defend itself.”
The US also welcomed Saturday’s ceasefire agreement, praising Egypt as well as Qatar for their role in brokering the deal.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said US officials “worked closely with regional partners to achieve this resolution of hostilities to prevent loss of life and restore peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.” “
“We are grateful for the important diplomatic efforts of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and senior Egyptian officials, as well as the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani,” he said in a White House statement.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi speaks during a news conference in Yerevan, January 29, 2023. (Karen Minasyan / AFP)
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Saturday and thanked him for Qatar’s partnership and significant efforts to reduce violence during recent hostilities. a statement.
The United States “appreciates Egypt’s important role in mediating a ceasefire agreement that will prevent further loss of civilian lives. We look forward to the ceasefire, along with Qatar’s strong efforts to de-escalate the situation and end hostilities.” We also recognize the support of the international community,” Miller said, adding, “Our team worked closely with our partners to support these efforts.”
Miller said Washington was reaffirming America’s “firm commitment to Israel’s security”, as reflected in our ongoing support for Iron Dome and other Israeli missile defense systems. We will continue to engage with our partners to promote peace in the weeks and months ahead.
“We want to thank Egypt for its efforts,” Mohammed al-Hindi, an official in Islamic Jihad’s political department, told AFP. He has been in Cairo since the fighting began on Tuesday.
The ceasefire took effect just after 10 p.m. on Saturday, with last-minute bursts of rocket fire from Gaza triggering sirens in southern and central Israel, and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes several minutes before a deadline announced by Cairo. Went. Late Saturday, Israel reported additional fire and said it again struck Gaza, targeting two underground rocket launchers belonging to Islamic Jihad.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in London on May 5, 2023. (Daniel Leal/AFP)
But calm appeared to be quickly restored, ending an operation that included Israeli assassinations of Islamic Jihad leaders in Gaza and airstrikes targeting more than 300 sites belonging to the terrorist group. The group launched more than 1,000 rockets into Israel during the week, killing two civilians – an elderly woman in Rehovot and a Gaza laborer working in a greenhouse near the southern Israeli town of Shokedah.
Tor Vansland, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, on Saturday called on Israel and Islamic Jihad to abide by the ceasefire and said he was deeply saddened by the loss of life and injuries, including children and women, from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Are. Rockets are being fired indiscriminately towards Israel by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other militant groups.
“I look forward to the immediate resumption of humanitarian access and all social and economic measures to support Palestinian livelihoods in Gaza,” Waynesland said in a statement.
Meanwhile, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said the operation was “good and important”, but warned that his far-right party should not remain silent on security issues, according to Ynet news. site.
“The next operation should be in Judea and Samaria,” said Ben Gvir, using the Biblical name for the West Bank. “A lot of terrorists come from there, so the next requirement is targeted killings there as well.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir makes a press statement during a meeting of his Otzma Yehudit party on May 3, 2023 in the southern city of Sderot. (Flash 90)
“If Likud spokesmen thought I would come with my tail between my legs, the situation is the opposite, I come with the feeling that I influenced the operation. We will not topple a right-wing government, but we are not in such a government. Will sit that draws a line that is not right wing.
Prior to the launch of Operation Shield and Arrow, as it is called in the military, Ben Gvir had led a standoff with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, boycotting a cabinet meeting last Sunday and calling for a vote to boycott or protest here. Till threatened to leave the 64-seat alliance over his party’s displeasure with its handling of multiple security issues.
As the operation began on Tuesday morning, Ben Gwyr said he was boycott ended,
Several Hebrew media reports indicated that Ben Gvir was intentionally excluded from deliberations and decision-making on the launch of the operation, for fear that he would leak information before it began. Netanyahu is seen as mistrusting his police minister, repeatedly keeping him away from making key decisions on security matters.
With Saturday’s ceasefire taking effect, Religious Zionism MK Michal Woldiger suggested Israel should take a tougher stand with Gaza’s Hamas rulers, who have stayed out of this round of fighting.
“Hamas is the ruler of Gaza, and thus we bring them to a position in which it surrenders,” he tweeted, referring to Israeli troops calling on Hamas to return “the civilians held there and Haidar and Oron”. must be forced. Haidar Goldin and Oron Shaul, who were killed in the 2014 Gaza War and whose remains are held by Hamas.
Waldinger said, “Only then, will this be a ‘truce’ that can be lived with.”
Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Kanua said the period of violence ended as a “victory for the resistance”.
The so-called “Joint Operations Room” of various Palestinian terrorist groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, warned in a statement that Israel had its “finger on the trigger” if it resumed its policy of assassinating commanders of terror groups.
Smoke and flames rise from an explosion caused by an Israeli air strike targeting a building in Gaza, Saturday, May 13, 2023. The building was owned by an Islamic Jihad official. (AP Photo/Ashraf Amra)
National Unity Party chairman Benny Gantz, a former defense minister and IDF chief who is also a prominent member of the opposition, welcomed the cease-fire announcement, tweeting that “Israel and the State of Israel have once again Again proved our strength and sent a clear message. Message to terrorist organizations – Against our enemies, we stand together as a mighty fist.
Gantz warned that “it was not over” and urged residents of southern Israel to follow the instructions of the authorities.
Residents of communities near the enclave were instructed to stay near bomb shelters overnight, with restrictions on movement within 40 kilometers (25 mi) of Gaza set to lift at noon on Sunday. The IDF said after a military assessment that roads near the border that had been closed for fear of anti-tank guided missile attacks during the operation were reopened at 6 a.m. Sunday. Similarly, the ban on residents more than 40 kilometers from Gaza will be lifted at 6 am on Sunday.
Home Front Command rules mandate school closures, work closures – unless staff have a bomb-safe room they can reach on time – and outdoor gatherings for people near the Palestinian enclave Not limited to more than 10 people. Indoor gatherings are restricted to 100 people in those areas.
An IDF official said on Saturday that Israel killed at least 10 Palestinian civilians as well as 18 Islamic Jihad activists during the five-day operation. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry put the death toll at 33, but an IDF official said some Gaza civilians were likely killed by Islamic Jihad rockets that landed inside the strip. Another 151 Palestinians were injured in Gaza, according to the enclave’s health ministry.
Gazan fighters, who fired rockets in response to Tuesday’s bombardment on Wednesday afternoon, launched more than 1,200 projectiles during clashes on Saturday morning.
Palestinians and supporters of the Islamic Jihad terrorist group celebrate in Gaza City after a ceasefire agreement with Israel was signed on Saturday, May 13, 2023. (Mohammed Abed/AFP)
According to the military, at least 976 projectiles crossed the border, while 221 fell short in Gaza – some of them believed to have killed four Palestinians.
The IDF said the air defense systems – Iron Dome and the medium-range David Sling – intercepted 373 rockets, marking a 91 percent interception rate of projectiles aimed at populated areas. Several rockets landed within the towns, killing one and injuring several others, as well as causing widespread damage.
According to the IDF, the rest landed in open areas without harm. Most of the rockets targeted cities in southern Israel, but some reached Tel Aviv in the north. At least 77 Israelis have also been injured in the rocket attacks.
The army also said it struck 371 targets linked to Islamic Jihad during the campaign.