By all accounts, the Egyptian-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Gaza which took effect at 2 a.m. May 21 local time (23:00 UTC, May 20) is holding, though fingers remain poised on triggers if something goes wrong. Times of Israel reported that the tenuous nature of the ceasefire was “highlighted with violence and threats continuing until minutes before the deadline. Both sides have declared victory and are warning at the same time of retaliation for any violation. Hamas’s military wing warned it would carry out widespread attacks — on Haifa in Israel’s north to the Ramon area in the south — if Israel did not abide by the pact. At the same time, Hamas foreign relations chief Osama Hamdan said that Hamas had received assurances regarding Israeli policy toward Sheikh Jarrah and the Temple Mount in East Jerusalem. Defense Minister Benny Gantz denied Hamas’s claims of assurances on Jerusalem as ‘completely false.’”
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday afternoon, May 20, that the security cabinet had “unanimously accepted the recommendation of all security officials, the IDF 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 bilateral ceasefire without any conditions, which will take effect later.”
The toll of casualties is reported to be 12 dead and over 335 wounded on the Israeli side and 232 dead–65 of them children–and over 1,700 wounded in Gaza.