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A bilateral cease-fire took hold on Friday as Israel and Hamas agreed to halt nearly two weeks of fighting that has left hundreds dead and parts of the impoverished Gaza Strip reduced to rubble.
In the countdown to the 2 a.m. (7 p.m. ET Thursday) truce, rocket attacks from the Palestinian militant group continued and Israel carried out at least one airstrike.
There were no reports of violations early Friday, though each side said it stood ready to retaliate for any attacks by the other. Egypt, which mediated the agreement, said it would send two delegations to monitor the cease-fire.
More than 10 days of aerial attacks killed at least 230 Palestinians in Gaza and 12 Israelis, according to officials on both sides. What began with clashes that first erupted months ago in Jerusalem boiled over into a conflict that spread far beyond the city's ancient walls — leading to a wave of civil unrest within Israel and protests across the world.
The truce comes after international diplomatic efforts and growing pressure from Israel's closest ally, the United States, to bring an end to the most intense conflict between Israel and Hamas since the 2014 war in Gaza.
In remarks from the White House shortly after the cease-fire was announced on Thursday, President Joe Biden said he had been in close contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the hours leading up to the deal.
In the countdown to the 2 a.m. (7 p.m. ET Thursday) truce, rocket attacks from the Palestinian militant group continued and Israel carried out at least one airstrike.
There were no reports of violations early Friday, though each side said it stood ready to retaliate for any attacks by the other. Egypt, which mediated the agreement, said it would send two delegations to monitor the cease-fire.
More than 10 days of aerial attacks killed at least 230 Palestinians in Gaza and 12 Israelis, according to officials on both sides. What began with clashes that first erupted months ago in Jerusalem boiled over into a conflict that spread far beyond the city's ancient walls — leading to a wave of civil unrest within Israel and protests across the world.
The truce comes after international diplomatic efforts and growing pressure from Israel's closest ally, the United States, to bring an end to the most intense conflict between Israel and Hamas since the 2014 war in Gaza.
In remarks from the White House shortly after the cease-fire was announced on Thursday, President Joe Biden said he had been in close contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the hours leading up to the deal.
