Cease-fire in Gaza-Israeli war

A BUS and car burnt in rocket strike by Hamas on Holon in Israel on May 11 (Wikipedia/Yoav Keren).

The “Eleven-Day War” between the Israeli military and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip has come to a close. According to the Associated Press, the two sides on Thursday agreed to a cease-fire, which began at 2 a.m. local time.

Israel appeared to inflict heavy damages on Hamas with shelling and air raids, and upwards of 200 Palestinians have been killed. Rockets fired into the Tel Aviv area by Hamas took about a dozen lives, but upwards of 90 percent of those weapons were knocked down by Israel’s “Iron Dome” anti-missile system.

The cease-fire came after increasing pressure from the international community – including a personal plea from President Joe Biden – to call off the bloody conflict. Egypt is believed to be the chief mediator.

According to The New York Times, the Administration is considering a plan to help rebuild the Gaza Strip, provided that Hamas agreed not to resume its rocket attacks on Israel.

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