Gaza ceasefire breakthrough: Terms set after horror conflict puts end of battle in sight
THE conditions for a ceasefire have been outlined as the Israel’s military campaign against Islamic Jihad continues to rage on.
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After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that Israel's campaign focused on the fundamentalist group Islamic Jihad, Gaza's second largest militant group, terms have been set to bring an end to the violence. On Wednesday, the leader of Islamic Jihad Ziad Nakhaleh responded calling for Israel to stop carrying out assassinations in Gaza and the West bank, amongst other demands. Nakhaleh the Islamic Jihad leader put forward three ceasefire requirements, calling them "the conditions of the people."
First, Israel had to stop carrying out targeted assassinations inside Gaza and the West Bank, he said.
Second, Israel has to no longer shoot at demonstrators in what is known as the March of Return protest along the Gaza fence.
And finally, Nakhaleh said Israel had to "abide by the understandings made in Cairo concerning the measures to break the siege on the Gaza Strip."
Continuing Nakhaleh said“We expect a response on this agreement, and if we agree, then we will enter the ceasefire immediately."
The Israelli Defense Forces (IDF) have said “it’s raining rockets” across the country as the conflict has reached boiling point.
They say that Islamic Jihadists are firing a projectile every 7 minutes in retribution for the Israeli military killing a top member of their group.
Israel claims on Tuesday morning a senior commander of the terror group was killed via a targeted military airstrike inspiring a constant wave of retailation.
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Bahu Abu al Ata and his wife were killed as they slept in their home in eastern Gaza, IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said.
The lieutenant colonel then added al-Ata was the person responsible for planning a number of recent attacks on Southern Israel and claimed he was actively in the process of planning more.
Islamic Jihad, a militant group backed by Iran has since sworn retribution launching dozens of rockets at Israel in response to Abu al-Ata’s killing.
Some rockets have been said to reach even as far as Tel Aviv, prompting a navy response from Israel that has marked the worst fighting in the region in months.
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The death toll as reported on the ground is said to have reached 26 including amongst them a seven year old, two minors and 16 militants.
Speaking during a Facebook live on Wednesday Conricus said: “All of the attacks against Israel over the last half-year were the responsibility of one specific terrorist his name was Baha Abu al-Ata.”
“He’s no longer a problem”
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Elaborating further he said: “He was at the receiving end of a specific surgical operation by the IDF yesterday morning. We sent specific ammunition and we were able to kill him very precisely without causing a lot of collateral damage around him,
“We knew that this guy was a ticking bomb. He had lots of blood on his hands.”
Prasing al-Ata’s removal he continued: “He [Abu al-Ata] was planning to launch another attack against Israel within the coming days.
“That is what led us to execute that action, which was completed successfully…
"that specific terrorist will no longer be threatening additional Israeli civilians.”
By Wednesday night The Israeli army has claimed that more than 360 rockets have been fired at Israel.