Egypt was able to reach a ceasefire between the Palestinian factions in Gaza and Israel to take effect at 2:00 am after more than ten days of fierce warfare.
Egypt was able to reach a ceasefire between the Palestinian factions in Gaza and Israel to take effect on Friday, May 21, 2021, at 2:00 am after more than ten days of fierce warfare. The truce was agreed upon on Thursday, May 20, 2021. Accordingly, Egypt will dispatch security delegations to Gaza and Tel Aviv in order to follow up with the implementation of the agreement.
The ceasefire came after at least 232 Palestinians were martyred in Gaza including 65 children and 1,900 wounded and 12 dead in Israel, the Health Ministry said.
About 90,000 Palestinians have been displaced from Gaza in only 11 days since the violence began.
More than 4,000 rockets have been fired from Gaza in retaliation to Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians.
Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, welcomed the decision of ceasefire.
A Hamas official reported that the ceasefire between Palestinian factions and Israel would be mutual and simultaneous.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that his security cabinet voted unanimously to accept Egypt’s truce proposal. However, it warned that “The reality on the ground will determine the continuation of the campaign.”
Israel also says that “ceasefire was proposed by Egypt and will be mutual and unconditional,” Al Jazeera reports.
Egyptian President, Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, had spoken to President Joe Biden. They discussed the situation in Gaza and the urgent desire to reach a ceasefire and to de-escalate violence in the region, the Egyptian Presidency Office said.
In addition, the secretary general of the UN General Assembly, Antonio Guterres, assured that the UN is keen to support the Egyptian efforts towards reaching a ceasefire to prevent negative repercussions in the region.
There is no doubt that people in Gaza still fear a sudden intense bombardment from the Israeli side before the truce takes place. “People will celebrate … but people are also in fear because they are also used to seeing intensive fire just before the deadline,” Al Jazeera’s Sami Abu Salem said.
Israeli airstrikes destroyed civilian residential buildings, schools, 17 hospitals and clinics, and struck the only Covid-19 test laboratory in Gaza. It also cut off electricity, fresh and clean water, and sewer services, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
As the devastations deepened, international pressure was building up for complete cessation of voilence and to find a path for peace where Egypt is an intermediary in the negotiations. Mediation efforts came as Israel and the US do not deal with Hamas, regarding it a terrorist group.
Hamas has been resisting against Israeli military oppression since its establishment in the 1980s. It protects Palestinians against violence practiced by the occupying forces.
As Israel would not end its attacks and illegal expansion and annexation of Palestinian territories. Hence, this resistance would not stop in the long run.