Ceasefire agreed after three days of Gaza fighting

A truce between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad took effect in the Gaza Strip on Sunday after three days of cross-border fighting triggered by surprise Israeli airstrikes.

US president Joe Biden welcomed the agreement and called on all parties to “fully implement the ceasefire, and to ensure fuel and humanitarian supplies are flowing into Gaza as the fighting subsides”. The president also lamented the injury and death of civilians in Gaza, but did not specify who was responsible.

Israeli strikes and militant rockets continued in the minutes leading up to the beginning of the truce, which Egyptian mediators said started at 11.30pm local time on Sunday. Israel confirmed the ceasefire was set to take hold, but said it would respond if it was violated. Islamic Jihad also confirmed the agreement. “We appreciate the Egyptian efforts that had been exerted to end the Israeli aggression against our people,” spokesperson Tareq Selmi said.

According to the Gaza health ministry, 44 people, including 15 children and several members of Islamic Jihad, were killed and 350 civilians wounded as missiles pummelled the blockaded Palestinian territory. Thirteen Israelis have been treated in hospital for minor injuries as hundreds of retaliatory rockets were fired across the Gaza frontier towards the south of the country.

The flare-up is the worst outbreak of violence between Israeli and Palestinian militants since an 11-day war last May.