ALBAWABA - Palestinian officials announced Wednesday a ceasefire deal was agreed on between Israel and armed factions in the Gaza Strip.
AFP reported that the "reciprocal and simultaneous" ceasefire went into effect at 3:30 a.m. (00:30 GMT) on Wednesday.
Palestinian groups, Israeli forces agree to Gaza ceasefire https://t.co/2eAnOP3BVu
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 3, 2023
Officials from Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations mediated between Palestinians and Israelis to reach the deal.
Hamas released a statement when the talks started, saying its officials are seeking to stop Israel's "aggression on Gaza."
On Tuesday, Israeli fighter jets attacked Hamas positions in the coastal strip in response to Palestinian rockets' fired into Israel.
Tariq Salmi, a spokesperson for the Islamic Jihad, said in a statement that "one round of confrontation has ended, but the march of resistance continues and will not stop."
"Our brave fighters have proven their loyalty and commitment to defending their people," he maintained.
Tensions escalated between Palestinian factions and Israel following the death of Islamic Jihad leader Khader Adnan in Israeli jail after spending about 87 days on a hunger strike.
In a related development, the Palestinian health ministry announced that one person was killed and five others were wounded in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza that began late Tuesday and lasted until daybreak Wednesday.
