Palestinian men mourn outside the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza city. Image: SIPA USA/PA Images Palestinian men mourn outside the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza city. Image: SIPA USA/PA Images A GAZA STRIP ceasefire came into effect early today, an Egyptian source and a senior Islamic Jihad official told AFP, following a spike in violence and bloodshed in the Palestinian enclave.
Following the targeted killing of a top militant in Gaza, the two sides had been exchanging fire since Tuesday, and Israel’s military said it recorded more than 350 incoming rockets. Air raid sirens wailed and fireballs exploded as air defence missiles intercepted rockets, sending Israelis rushing to bomb shelters.Nickolay Mladenov, the UN envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, arrived in Cairo on Wednesday afternoon, airport officials said, following reports he was to hold talks aimed at halting the fighting.
Israel killed senior Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata and his wife Asma in a targeted strike early Tuesday, prompting barrages of tit-for-tat rocket fire and air strikes.