(CNN Spanish) — Israel says an agreement to reinstate the Gaza ceasefire will take effect at 11:30 p.m. local time (4:30 p.m. ET), following a similar announcement by Islamic Jihad shortly before.
A brief statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office thanked Egypt for its efforts in mediating the truce, and warned that if it is violated, “the State of Israel retains the right to respond with force.”
The announcement came some fifty hours after the latest escalation began, when Israel launched what it called pre-emptive strikes against Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza.
As in previous escalations in Gaza, Egypt has taken a central role in efforts to end the fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants.
Terms of the deal were not immediately made public but, reporting on the truce push, Egypt’s official state news agency said Cairo was working to see the release of an Islamic Jihad militant captured by Israel. six days ago, as well as to ensure that a Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike in an Israeli jail was taken to hospital for medical treatment.
According to reports, in previous ceasefire agreements, Israel has promised to ease the closure of Gaza.
Hamas, which stayed out of the fighting, said the Israeli operation represented a “new stage in the struggle for Palestinian freedom against the Israeli occupation.”