Egypt brokers de-escalation deal in Gaza: Source

An Egyptian security delegation has managed to reach a de-escalation deal between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, according to a Palestinian source.

“The Egyptian mediation succeeded in halting the escalation that broke out early today in Gaza,” the source told Anadolu Agency, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.

According to the source, the delegation made intensive contacts with faction leaders in Gaza and Israeli officials with a view to restoring calm.

The delegation arrived in Gaza on Tuesday for talks with Hamas leaders on inter-Palestinian reconciliation and truce with Israel.

On Wednesday, Israeli warplanes carried out a series of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire into southern Israel.

One person was martyred in the Israeli attacks, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The Israeli army said it bombed 20 targets throughout Gaza, including an underground tunnel, going on to hold Palestinian group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, responsible for the escalation.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman also announced on Wednesday that all crossings into Gaza were being shut and the fishing zone around the Palestinian territory was being limited.

Since March, more than 200 Palestinians have been martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli army fire in anti-occupation protests along Gaza border.

Demonstrators demand an end to Israel’s 12-year Gaza blockade and the right to return to their homes in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.