An Egypt-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has gone into effect in the Gaza Strip, with calm prevailing. Unnamed officials from the Israeli government have told the media that this isn’t a “real” deal until Hamas unconditionally returns the remains of Israeli soldiers.
The cabinet was said to have broadly supported the ceasefire, however, with the exception of two of the Jewish Home ministers, who are broadly opposed to peace talks in the first place. These are presumably the “senior” officials telling Israeli press outlets that the ceasefire isn’t “real” yet.
With calm prevailing in Gaza, Israel also opened the Kerem Shalom crossing to commercial goods. This meant an influx of fruits and vegetables into the strip, along with limited amounts of fuel and construction materials.
Israel also extended the fishing area for Gazans to 9 nautical miles. The Oslo Accords have mandated a 20 mile fishing limit, but was never implemented. Recently, Israel restricted fishing to as little as three miles from shore.
So very kind of Israel 🙁