Israel, Hamas end 11-day war with cease-fire agreement

JERUSALEM — Israel and Hamas announced a cease-fire Thursday, ending a bruising 11-day war that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip and brought life in much of Israel to a standstill.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel accepted the Egyptian proposal after a late-night meeting of his Security Cabinet. Hamas quickly followed suit and said it would honor the deal.

Egypt’s state-run MENA news agency said the truce would take effect at 2 a.m., roughly three hours after the announcement.

In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said the Security Cabinet unanimously approved the proposal after recommendations from the military chief of staff and other top defense officials. The statement boasted of “significant achievements in the operation, some of which are unprecedented” and included a veiled threat against Hamas.

“The political leaders emphasized that the reality on the ground will determine the future of the campaign,” the statement said.

Taher Nounou, a Hamas official, confirmed the deal. “The Palestinian resistance will commit itself to this deal as long as the occupation is committed,” he said.

The agreement would close the heaviest round of fighting between the bitter enemies since a 50-day war in 2014. Israel inflicted heavy damage on Hamas but was unable to halt the rocket fire that has disrupted life for millions of Israelis for more than a decade.

The fighting began May 10, when Hamas militants in Gaza fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Threatened evictions of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers had inflamed tensions.

Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes during the operation, targeting what it said was Hamas’ military infrastructure, including a vast tunnel network. Hamas and other militant groups embedded in residential areas fired more than 4,000 rockets at Israeli cities and civilian targets. Most rockets were destroyed by Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.

Twelve people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and a soldier, were killed. More than 330 Israelis have been wounded; paramedics say more than 100 people suffered shrapnel and blast wounds. Additionally, one person has been killed and about 200 wounded in ethnic clashes between Arabs and Jews within Israel since the resumption of fighting.

At least 230 Palestinians were killed, including 65 children and 39 women, with 1,710 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not break the numbers down into fighters and civilians.

Hamas and the militant group Islamic Jihad said at least 20 of their fighters were killed, while Israel said the number was at least 130. Some 58,000 Palestinians have fled their homes.

Since the fighting began, Gaza’s infrastructure, already weakened by a 14-year blockade, has rapidly deteriorated. Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after Hamas seized power in 2007. Israel and the United States consider Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel’s destruction, to be a terrorist group, and Hamas’ government is not internationally recognized. Islamic Jihad also is considered a terrorist group by the countries.