Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have declared a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire came into effect early on Friday, ending 11 days of fighting in which more than 250 people were killed. Most of the casualties were reported in Gaza. Both Israel and Hamas declared victory in the conflict. Despite the ceasefire, however, fighting broke out early on Friday at the al-Aqsa mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem after Palestinians allegedly threw stones at officers. Riot suppressing measures were taken by law enforcement in response.
The latest fighting began between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza on May 10 after weeks of rising tensions that culminated in clashes at several holy sites revered by both Muslims and Jews. Hamas allegedly began firing rockets at Israel to withdraw them from the site, which triggered retaliatory airstrikes from Israel. More than 100 women and children were killed in Gaza, according to the region’s health ministry. Israel claims to have killed 225 militants during the fighting, however, Hamas has not provided casualty figures for its fighters. In Israel, 12 people were killed as a result of the conflicts. The Israel military stated that it struck more than 1,000 militant targets in Gaza.