Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire after a week of violence and conflict that left hundreds dead and 11 days of bloodshed.
Israeli airstrikes killed 232 Palestinians, including 65 children over those 11 days. 12 people in Israel, including two children, have been killed by Palestinian militant fire from Gaza.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Officer released a statement on the news but did not confirm when the ceasefire would go into effect.
“The Security Cabinet convened this evening. And accepted unanimously the recommendation of all security elements — the Chief of Staff, the head of the Shin Bet, the Head of the Mossad, and the head of the National Security Council — to accept the Egyptian initiative for a mutual unconditional ceasefire that will go into effect at an hour to be agreed upon later,” the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
President Joe Biden credited the Egyptian government for their role in getting the the cease-fire agreement and that he and his aides at the White House were involved in an “hour by hour” effort.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel accepted the Egyptian proposal after a late-night meeting. The ceasefire was announced just one day after Biden told Netanyahu in a private phone call he expected “significant de-escalation” of the fighting.
“I believe the Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely and enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity and democracy,” Biden said. “My administration will continue our quiet, relentless diplomacy toward that.”
Biden delivered his lengthy statement on the matter and has avoided publicly speaking about the Israeli military strikes had faced pressure from fellow Democrats to speak out against the Israeli.
“In my conversations with President Netanyahu, I commended him for his decision to bring the current hostilities to a close within less than 11 days. I also emphasized what I’ve said throughout this conflict: the Untied States fully support Israels’ right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks from Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorists groups,” Biden said.
