CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2023) Israel and Palestinian militants have agreed to a ceasefire starting Saturday night after violence continued into the fifth consecutive day, Egyptian media reported.
The Egypt-mediated ceasefire will take effect at 10 p.m. local time on Saturday (19:00 GMT), according to Al-Qahera news. This comes shortly after Israel rejected a lull in fighting proposed by Cairo and other mediators.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry did not immediately confirm the reports to Sputnik.
"I cannot confirm this at the moment," a foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Less than an hour before the reported ceasefire was expected to come into force, the Israeli Defense Forces said air raid sirens were sounded in central and southern Israel near the blockaded Gaza Strip. The IDF said it resumed pounding Gaza with artillery.
The IDF attacked the Palestinian exclave on Tuesday as Israel sought to defeat the Islamic Jihad movement, which it accuses of targeting civilians in southern Israel. Dozens of Palestinians have died, including several high-ranking militants.
