Ceasefire established after three days of fighting between Israel and Gaza

(Patria) – A ceasefire was established early Monday morning after three days of conflict between Israeli forces and militants from Gaza, agencies report.

In the new wave of conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas from Gaza over the weekend, Palestinian Hamas fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli cities, and Israel responded with more than 250 strikes. 

In the fighting, considered the fiercest in years, 24 Palestinians lost their lives, including two pregnant women and a child. At least 8 militants and a Hamas commander were also killed.

On the Israeli side, 4 people lost their lives in rocket attacks, and dozens were injured.

On Sunday evening, US President Donald Trump announced on his Twitter profile "100% support" for Israel after "a series of deadly rocket attacks by the terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad."

Trump then added: "The people of Gaza – these terrorist attacks against Israel will bring you nothing but trouble. Stop the violence and achieve peace – it is possible!" the British newspaper The Guardian reported.

The violence that intensified over the weekend follows the same pattern as a series of incidents that have marked the past year in that part of the world; short-term exchanges of fire that occur almost every month, only to be extinguished shortly after thanks to interventions by Egypt or the UN.   

Re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military forces to carry out "massive attacks" on Gaza and secure the enclave's border with tanks, artillery, and the army.

"This morning I ordered continuous massive attacks on terrorist elements in the Gaza Strip. I also ordered reinforcement of forces around the Gaza Strip with tanks, artillery, and infantry," said the Israeli Prime Minister. 

Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and the armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, continued to fire rockets late Sunday evening. Official Israel claims that more than 600 rockets were fired, and that militant groups are threatening to use long-range rockets targeting central Israel, agencies report.

Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted a large number of projectiles, but several still fell on residential areas.

In one of the Israeli forces' operations, a building housing the Gaza office of the Turkish state news agency was destroyed. Turkish President Erdogan called the attack a "terrorist act." The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) responded to the accusations by explaining that the target was a building housing Hamas's military intelligence service and other security groups.

In this part of the Middle East, it usually only takes a spark to lead to a conflict of this magnitude. Palestinian militants fired weapons across the border on Friday, wounding two Israeli soldiers. Israel responded with airstrikes, killing two Hamas members. Israeli snipers killed two people in Gaza who were protesting near the border.

United Nations Peace Envoy Nickolay Mladenov called on the warring parties for peace, emphasizing that the continuation of actions would nullify everything achieved so far and destroy chances for long-term solutions: "This endless cycle of violence must stop, and efforts must be intensified to achieve a political solution to the crisis in Gaza," according to a statement signed by Mladenov.

Humanitarian organizations operating in this part of the Middle East warn that the most serious phase of the crisis since the 2014 Gaza war has begun, and they appeal to the warring parties to refrain from further attacks. 

The Gaza Strip, which covers about 140 square miles, is home to about 2 million inhabitants. This part of the Palestinian territory has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt since 2007 when Hamas took control of that part of the territory. Three years of fighting between Israel and Hamas have led to the collapse of the economy, with youth unemployment exceeding 70%, The Guardian writes.

Hamas's opponent, the Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank, has also imposed sanctions on Gaza, which include, among other things, the cessation of money transfers.