Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire early this morning after the escalation of violence in which four Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed, said Fawzi Barhum, the spokesman for the Islamic extremist organization.
"Thanks to the efforts of Egypt and the United Nations, we reached an agreement to return to a state of calm between the (Israeli) occupier and the Palestinian factions," Barhum said in a statement, agencies reported.
During the conflict, an Israeli soldier was killed yesterday along the border between Israel and Gaza.
It was the first soldier killed on active duty since the 2014 war between the Israeli army and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, an Israeli military spokesman said, Israeli media reported.
Four Palestinians were also killed in the exchange of fire. Hamas's military wing, the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, confirmed that the three were members of the organization.
After that exchange of fire, Israel launched a major air attack on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the death of a soldier "during an incident" near the Palestinian enclave in which, as stated, 60 Hamas targets were destroyed.
The army said that around 60 buildings and infrastructure were eliminated, and that the military and command and control capabilities of the organization, which Israel considers terrorist, were greatly reduced.
This is the second ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in a week as concerns grow that another war could break out. Since 2008, Hamas and the Israeli army have gone to war three times.
Palestinians have been protesting en masse once a week since the end of March at the border of the Gaza Strip against the Israeli and Egyptian blockade of the territory.
They also demand the right of return for Palestinian refugees who were driven or fled their homes in the war that followed the creation of Israel in 1948.
According to France Press, almost 150 Palestinians died in those protests, and more than 4.000 were wounded by Israeli live ammunition.
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