GAZA CITY: Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza declared a unilateral cease-fire with Israel on Monday after two days of violence in which at least seven people died.
The flare-up began on Sunday morning when a militant was killed along the Gaza-Israel border while trying to plant an explosive device at the fence.
Israel removed the man’s body with a bulldozer, and video footage of the removal posted online caused widespread anger.
Islamic Jihad launched more than 60 rockets and mortars in response, and Israel struck back against targets in Gaza and Syria. Two Islamic Jihad fighters and four other Iran-backed militants were killed in airstrikes near Damascus.
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The militants responded on Monday with more rocket fire from Gaza, forcing the closure of schools and roads in southern Israel.
Islamic Jihad said on Monday night that it had “ended itsmilitary response to the two assassination crimes in Khan Yunis and Damascus.”
“Any act of resistance is a legitimate response as long as the enemy’s aggression continues,” spokesman Musab Buraim said.
The militants’ actions were limited, analysts told Arab News. Palestinian factions, especially Islamic Jihad, were not seeking major escalation, said columnist Mustafa Ibrahim.
“The escalation came in response to dragging the body of the Palestinian fighter,” he said. “If the Israeli army had not done this, the event could have passed without
a response.”
