Fragile ceasefire after cross-border violence leaves 25 dead in Gaza

A FRAGILE CEASEFIRE, brokered by Egypt, went into effect yesterday, ending four days of cross-border violence that left 25 Palestinians dead and confined more than a million residents of southern Israel to bomb shelters.

The truce was announced following verbal assurances from Israel and militant leaders in Gaza. Despite the announcement, at least 12 rockets and mortar bombs were fired at Israeli communities close to the Gaza border yesterday. No one was hurt and the number of projectiles marked a dramatic fall in comparison to the previous days.

Both Hamas officials and spokesmen for the smaller militant factions in Gaza claimed that, under the terms of the truce, Israel had committed to halting assassinations of Palestinian fighters. However, Israeli officials denied that any such assurances had been given.

Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Israel was ready to renew hostilities if necessary. “Our message is that quiet will bring quiet. Anyone who violates it, or even tries to violate it, our guns will find him.” An almost identical message came from Khaled Batch, a leader of Islamic Jihad, which claimed responsibility for most of the rocket attacks. “If Israel is committed to the agreement, we also will be committed to it,” he said.

Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak noted that 20 of the 25 Palestinian fatalities were militants, and he stressed the impressive performance of the Iron Dome anti-missile batteries which had intercepted 54 of the almost 70 projectiles that had been aimed at the three largest cities in the south.

Only eight Israelis were wounded during the four days of fighting, despite the fact that more than 220 rockets were fired from Gaza.