Gaza resistance factions announce ceasefire with Israel

An Egypt-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has finally been reached following weeks of intense shuttle diplomacy by Egyptian officials, Gaza-based resistance factions announced Tuesday evening.

“Egyptian efforts have succeeded in hammering out a ceasefire between the resistance and the enemy [i.e., Israel],” the factions declared in a joint statement.

“The resistance will commit to the terms of the agreement as long as Israel does the same,” the statement read.

The Israeli cabinet, for its part, has instructed the army to continue military operations in Gaza “as necessary”, according to an official statement.

The announcements come following two days of military escalations between Israel and Palestinian resistance factions.

Since Sunday, at least 14 Palestinians have been martyred -- by Israeli airstrikes and artillery -- across the blockaded Gaza Strip.

On Sunday night, seven Palestinians were martyred, including a senior Hamas commander, in a botched Israeli ground incursion inside the Gaza Strip.

At least one Israeli officer was reportedly killed and another injured during the deadly raid.

The Israeli army claims the attacks are in response to rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel.

Since March 30, more than 200 Palestinians have been martyred by Israeli army gunfire -- and thousands more injured -- while taking part in ongoing rallies along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.