Islamic Jihad announces ceasefire with Israel after day of strikes: official

Israel hit Gaza targets after mortar barrage. Hamas and Islamic Jihad declared shared responsibility for the attacks

GAZA CITY, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Islamic Jihad announced an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire agreement with Israel late on Tuesday, after the worst flare-up since a 2014 war.

In a statement, the group's spokesperson said after Egyptian mediation a "ceasefire agreement was reached with Israel to return to calm."

He told AFP that Gaza's rulers Hamas were also committed to it, though there was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or Israel.

"All factions, including Hamas and Jihad, are committed to understandings for calm," Jihad spokesperson Dawoud Shihab told AFP.



Islamic Jihad and Hamas had earlier claimed responsibility for dozens of mortars and rockets fired from Gaza early Tuesday.

In response, the Jewish state hit dozens of "military targets" in Gaza, with strikes continuing Tuesday evening.

Three Israeli soldiers were wounded by projectiles fired from Gaza, one moderately and two lightly, said the army. There were no immediate reports of any casualties in the strip.

The clashes raised fears of another round of conflict in Gaza. An Islamic Jihad source told AFP the ceasefire would go into effect within hours.

In a rare joint statement, Hamas and Islamic Jihad declared shared responsibility for the attacks, saying it was in retaliation for Israeli attacks targeting their positions.

Three members of Islamic Jihad were killed in an Israeli strike on Sunday, with the group vowing revenge.

Early Tuesday, some 28 mortar shells were fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip, with Israel saying most were intercepted by its air defence systems but leaving residents in the area on high alert and remaining close to bomb shelters.

One mortar shell exploded near a kindergarten building, a military spokesperson said, causing damage to the structure. No children were present at the time.

It was the largest barrage fired from Gaza targeting Israel since a 2014 war, and Israel's response would also be the biggest since then.



The UN Security Council is expected to meet Wednesday to discuss the attacks on Israel, following a request by the United States for an urgent meeting.

"The Security Council should be outraged and respond to this latest bout of violence directed at innocent Israeli civilians," US ambassador Nikki Haley said.

Kuwait, a non-permanent council member that represents Arab countries, circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution calling "for the consideration of measures to guarantee the safety and protection of the Palestinian civilian population" in the occupied Palestinian territories and the Gaza Strip.