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Islamic Jihad Confirms Ceasefire with Israel

RIA Novosti

15:36 13/03/2012

TEL AVIV/GAZA, March 13 (RIA Novosti) - The Palestinian armed group Islamic Jihad confirmed on Tuesday a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel.

Egypt officially announced on Monday night that a new ceasefire agreement was reached between Palestinian factions and Israel starting from 1:00 a.m. local time [23:00 GMT].

Daud Shihab said the agreement “obliges Israel to end its killings of Palestinian faction members” and stressed that his group “has the right to respond to any [ceasefire] violation by the enemy.”

Director of Policy and Political-Military Affairs at the Israel Ministry of Defense Amos Gilad said the ceasefire agreement has never been formally signed.

"There is no ceasefire document as such, but we follow the principle 'silence in exchange for silence,'” he said.

At least 19 members of Palestinian armed groups and six civilians, including two children, were killed since Friday as Israel and Palestinian armed groups traded rocket fire. Some 80 people were injured. According to Palestinian sources, the Israeli air force launched at least 40 airstrikes at the coastal enclave. At least 120 missiles were fired into Israel from the Palestinian territory in response.

The violence began on Friday when Israeli airstrikes destroyed a car in Gaza City, killing two militant leaders, one of whom Israel accused of plotting a cross-border attack from Egypt.

Israeli-Palestinian tensions escalated as the Quartet of international mediators of the Arab-Israeli conflict is set to meet in New York on Monday for the first time since September 2011 to discuss how to resolve the long-standing confrontation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to attend the meeting along with other Quartet representatives from the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.