Israel And Hamas Agree To A 72-Hour Ceasefire In Gaza
The ceasefire could signal the end of the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 1800 people, between 53% and 70-80% of which are civilians, according ot Israeli and Palestinian and UN sources, respectively. Ha'aretz quoted an anonymous senior Israeli official as saying that "if the cease-fire lasts, there will not be a need for a continued IDF presence within the Gaza Strip."
This is a big if: the last time the sides attempted a ceasefire, Hamas militants attacked Israeli troops involved in tunnel-clearing operations that had been allowed under the halt in fighting, and attempted to kidnap a soldier who was later declared dead.
The Israeli willingness to accept a ceasefire, after indicating that they weren't even willing to be involved in negotiating one just days ago, could indicate that they've achieved their main combat aim of destroying Hamas's cross-border tunnel system. Israel believes its forces have dismantled all of the cross-border passages that it currently knows about.
It could also indicate that Israel is increasingly sensitive to outside criticism for the conflict's civilian death toll as the operation drags on: the ceasefire came less than 24-hours after one of the harshest-ever American rebukes of Israel for the shelling of a UN school in which 10 people were killed.