Israel Thanks Egypt For Facilitating Ceasefire With Gaza - Prime Minister's Office

TEL AVIV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2023) Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi has thanked Egypt for mediating the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

On Saturday, Egyptian media reported that the ceasefire mediated by Cairo will take effect at 10 p.m. local time on Saturday (19:00 GMT).

"National Security Council (NSC) Director Tzachi Hanegbi, on instruction from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and expressed the appreciation of the State of Israel for Egypt's intensive efforts to secure a ceasefire," the prime minister's office said on Twitter late on Saturday night.

Less than an hour before the announced ceasefire was expected to come into force, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that air raid sirens sounded in central and southern Israel near the Gaza Strip.

The prime minister's office said in its statement that Tzachi Hanegbi "made it clear that Israel's acceptance of the Egyptian initiative means that 'quiet will be met with quiet', and that if Israel is attacked or threatened, it will continue to do everything that it needs to in order to defend itself."

On Tuesday night, Israel launched the "Shield and Arrow" operation conducting airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants in the Gaza Strip. In response, militants of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired over 500 rockets at Israel, according to Israel Defense Forces. At least one Israeli and over 30 Palestinians have died.

As many as 139 Palestinians have been killed as a result of the Israeli operations in the Palestinian territories since the beginning of 2023, with 25 killed in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Thursday.