Raids continued in Gaza throughout Monday evening
Israel has announced the withdrawal of all of its troops to "defensive positions" outside the Gaza Strip.
Lt-Col Peter Lerner told reporters Israeli forces would have left Gaza before a 72-hour truce, scheduled for 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT).
Israel claims the main aim of the conflict - to destroy militants' tunnels - has been achieved.
Gaza officials say the four-week conflict has killed 1,800 Palestinians. Some 67 Israelis have also died.
The withdrawal announcement came moments before the latest truce was due to come into force.
"The Israel Defence Forces will be redeployed in defensive positions outside the Gaza Strip and we will maintain those defensive positions," Col Lerner said.
Just minutes before the truce came into effect, air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as Hamas militants fired a barrage of rockets at central Israel.
AFP news agency reports that the Israeli air force staged at least five raids in Gaza shortly before the truce began.
Israel launched Operation Protective Edge on 8 July with the stated aim of ending rocket attacks and destroying tunnels used by Palestinian militants.
Thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank demonstrated in support of Gaza on Monday
At the same time Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem were burying a man killed in the city on Monday by a Palestinian man who had stolen a bus
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28654229#"
No comments :
Post a Comment