Ceasefire begins between Israel and Palestinian militants

 Ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants takes effectlate Sunday to end nearly three days of violence that has killed dozens of Palestinians and disrupted the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis. was held in

The flare-up is the worst fighting between Israel and Gaza militant groups since Israel and Hamas fought an 11-day war last year. The misery that fueled the destruction and has plagued blockaded Gaza for years.

The Egyptian-brokered ceasefire went into effect at 11:30 pm. (2030 GMT; 4:30 PM ET). Israeli strikes and militant rockets continued in the minutes leading up to the start of the ceasefire, and Israel said it would "respond strongly" if the ceasefire was violated.

Israeli aircraft have been attacking targets in Gaza since Friday, while an Iran-backed Palestinian jihadist group fired hundreds of rockets into Israel. The danger of cross-border fighting turning into full-scale war remained until a ceasefire was reached. Israel says some of the dead were killed by rocket misfires.

Gaza's ruling Hamas group, possibly fearing Israeli reprisals, has decided to pursue an economic deal with Israel, including Israeli jobs. remained on the sidelines for fear of spoiling the It has granted permits to thousands of Gazans and strengthened their control.

Israel launched its operations on Friday with an attack on the Islamic Jihad leader, followed by another targeted attack on another prominent leader on Saturday.

His Khaled Mansour, the second Islamic Jihad commander, was killed in an airstrike on an apartment building in Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza late Saturday, killing two of his other militants. Faction and his five civilians were also killed.

Mansur, commander of the Islamic Jihad in southern Gaza, was in the apartment of a member of the group when the missile struck, causing a three-story building to collapse and a nearby home to be badly damaged.

"Suddenly, without warning, the house next door was bombed, and in the blink of an eye, everything was black and covered with smoke.

Another neighbor Ahmed al-Qaissi said his wife and son were among the injured, suffering from shrapnel wounds.

Israeli forces said they suspected they had attacked an "Islamic Jihad rocket launching post" as Mansur's funeral began in the Gaza Strip on Sunday. Smoke was visible from the strike as Gaza rattled and exploded. Israeli airstrikes and rocket attacks continued for hours, with sirens blaring across central Israel. As the call to prayer at sunset echoed across Gaza, sirens blared as far north as Tel Aviv.

Israel said some of the deaths during this round were due to erroneous rocket fire, including one incident on Saturday at the Jebaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, where six Palestinians were killed. On Sunday, two men were killed when a projectile hit a house in the same area of ​​Jebaliyah. The Palestinians held Israel responsible, but Israel said it was investigating whether the area had been hit by a false rocket.

He said the mortar shells fired hit the Erez border crossing into Israel, which is used by thousands of Gazans every day. The ministry said the mortar shell had damaged the roof and debris hit the entrance to the hall. The crossing was closed during the fighting.

Rafah's attack was the deadliest yet in the current round of fighting launched by Israel on Friday by targeting and killing an Islamic Jihad commander in northern Gaza.

Israel said it took action against militant groups because of specific threats of imminent attacks, but did not give details. Caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid, an experienced diplomat but with no experience overseeing war, launched an offensive three months before the general election and campaigned to keep his job. did

In a statement on Sunday, Rapid said its forces would continue to strike targets in Gaza "in a pinpoint and responsible manner to minimize harm to non-combatants." Mr. Rapid said the strike that killed Mansur was "an extraordinary achievement."

"The operation will continue as long as necessary," Mr. Rapid said.

The UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting on violence for Monday.

Israel, which holds the presidency of the Council this month, estimates that about 15 militants were killed in its airstrikes.

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Islamic Jihad has , has fewer fighters and supporters than Hamas, and little is known of its arsenal.

The Israeli military said militants in Gaza fired about 580 rockets at Israel. The Islamic Jihad has fewer fighters and supporters than Hamas.

Air raid alerts hit the Jerusalem area for the first time since last year's Israeli-Hamas war. rang out.

Jerusalem is usually the flashpoint during cross-border fighting between Israel and Gaza. On Sunday, hundreds of Jews, including seditious ultranationalist lawmaker Itamar Ben Gubir, marched to the sensitive holy site of Jerusalem, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as a noble sanctuary. I visited Police said the visit ended successfully under close police protection.

Such demonstration visits by Israeli hardliners seeking to underline Israeli sovereignty claims over disputed Jerusalem have sparked violence in the past. Situated on the fault line, it is central to the conflicting narratives of Palestinian and Israeli Jews.

In Palestinian cities and towns in the West Bank, Israeli security forces said he had detained 19 people during overnight raids on suspicion of belonging to Islamic Jihad.

By Sunday, Hamas still appeared to be out of action. Groups have strong incentives to avoid another war. Last year's Israeli-Hamas war was one of his four major conflicts in the last 15 years, with several smaller battles.

Since the last war, Israel and Hamas have slightly eased the border blockades imposed by Israel and Egypt when Hamas seized the territory 15 years ago, keeping calm in exchange for work permits. A tacit understanding was reached on this basis. Israel has issued her 12,000 work permits to the Gaza worker, and he expects to give another 2,000 permits.

Gaza's lone power plant shut down at noon Saturday due to a fuel shortage. Israel has continued to close crossings to Gaza since Tuesday. The new chaos has left Gazans with only four hours of electricity in his day, increased reliance on private generators, and led to a chronic power crisis in the region during the peak summer heat. It's getting serious.