Beijing, 8 Aug (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Jerhad) and Israel reached a ceasefire agreement on the evening of 7 August. However, both sides warned that a new round of conflict would be inevitable if the other side violated the ceasefire agreement.
Jhad's conflict with Israel in the Gaza Strip is the most serious conflict between Palestine and Israel in more than a year. According to the Gaza Strip health department, the three-day clashes killed 44 people and injured 360 on the Palestinian side.
People clear streets in Gaza City after Israeli airstrikes on 7 August. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Rizek)
With Egypt's good offices, Jehad and Israel agreed to a ceasefire. The ceasefire agreement officially entered into force at 23:30 local time on the 7th. The actions of the two sides continued until the last moment before the ceasefire agreement entered into force. The Israeli army said in a statement that the last wave of strikes against Jerhad's target ended at 23:25.
According to the Israeli military, Jerhard fired about 580 rockets at Israel during the current round of conflict, most of which were intercepted by Israeli air defense systems. In addition, mortar shells fired from the Gaza Strip hit the erez port, which was closed at the time. The Erez crossing is the only land passage for people in the Gaza Strip to and from Israel.
U.N. Special Envoy for the Middle East, Tor Vennesland, said the calm situation after the ceasefire remained fragile and called on all parties to abide by the ceasefire agreement.
Smoke rose after Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah on 7 August. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Khalid Omar)
On the 1st of this month, Israeli forces arrested Jehad's leader in the West Bank region, Bassem Saadi, and others in the West Bank city of Jenin, and killed a Jehad armed man in the operation, escalating tensions between the two sides. Jerhard then declared himself on alert and prepared for war, saying he would use "state-of-the-art weapons" to attack Israel.
On the 5th, the Israeli army began to launch an air strike code-named "Operation Dawn" against the Jahad target in the Gaza Strip, and has hit hundreds of targets so far. Jhad's senior commander in northern Gaza, Tessil Jabari, and senior commander Khalid Mansour in southern Gaza, were killed in airstrikes.
On 6 August, after airstrikes on Gaza City, people inspected the damaged buildings. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Rizek)
Jehad said on the 7th that the Egyptian side promised to try to persuade Israel to release two Jehad personnel, including Saadi. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement on the same evening saying that if Jehad violates the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli side "reserves the right to respond forcefully."
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which controls the Gaza Strip, is not involved in the current round of conflict. Israel's Haaretz newspaper previously commented that whether Hamas is involved will determine whether the current round of conflict will escalate.
In May last year, Israel clashed with Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip, including Hamas, in an exchange of fire that lasted 11 days and resulted in thousands of civilian casualties. (Chen Lixi)