No rockets have been launched since 10pm yesterday from Gaza Strip towards Israel. Condition that bodes well for an agreement on the ceasefire ever closer after three days of intense clashes between the Israeli Security Forces (IDF) and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The rockets had been fired from the Gaza Strip in response to Israeli military air strikes against Islamic Jihad targets.
The Times of Israel writes that negotiations for a ceasefire with Egyptian mediation continued overnight, after they seemed on the verge of collapse. The Egyptian side said it was optimistic about the outcome of the talks. But the top executive of Islamic Jihad Ihsan Ataya curbed Egyptian enthusiasm this morning by saying that he “cannot provide guarantees” because Israel shows “little commitment”.
Meanwhile, during the night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with the leaders of the IDF in Tel Aviv. At the end of the meeting, the Hebrew-language media quoted Netanyahu’s office according to which the Israeli military operation in Gaza would go on ”for as long as necessary” and to ”inflict on Islamic Jihad the price of his aggression against Israeli citizens”. Channel 12 reported that all participants in the meeting agreed that the objectives in Gaza had been achieved.
Several media reported that Israeli air strikes against the Gaza Strip would continue to put pressure on Islamic Jihad to accept the ceasefire agreement.
