Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas said Monday they had reached a Qatari-mediated deal with Israel to end more than three weeks of cross-border attacks.

In the latest escalation, Israel has bombed Gaza almost daily since August 6 in response to airborne incendiary devices and, less frequently, rockets launched across the border.

The fire bombs -- crude devices fitted to balloons, inflated condoms or plastic bags -- have triggered more than 400 blazes and damaged swathes of farmland in southern Israel, according to the fire brigade.

An Egyptian delegation had been shuttling between the two sides to try to broker the renewal of an informal truce under which Israel committed to ease its 13-year-old blockade of Gaza in return for calm on the border.

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The delegation was joined by Emadi, who also held talks with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv.

In a statement, he praised the Hamas leadership for reaching a deal in light of the "difficult conditions of Gaza's inhabitants, especially in view of the spread of the coronavirus".

A Hamas source told AFP there had been "a total halt" to balloon and other attacks against Israel, in agreement with other factions in the coastal strip, home to some two million people.

"Fuel supplies will return and the power station will be restarted from Tuesday," the source said.

A punitive Israeli-imposed ban on fuel deliveries cut electricity to just four hours a day, supplied from the Israeli grid.

Crossing to reopen

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry unit that oversees civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, said in a statement that after "efforts to calm the situation", it would "resume the routine activity of the Kerem Shalom Crossing, including the entry of fuel products", starting Tuesday.

"In addition, the fishing zone of the Gaza Strip will be expanded to 15 nautical miles," it said.

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But, COGAT warned: "If Hamas, which is accountable for all actions that are taken in the Gaza Strip, fails to stand (by) its obligations, Israel will act accordingly."

The Hamas source added that work would be allowed to start on the construction of a new power line, while a $30 million Qatari aid tranche for Gaza would be expanded to $35 million, with the difference used to cover public servants' salaries.

Financial aid from gas-rich Qatar has been a major component of a truce first agreed more than a year ago and renewed several times since.

The fire balloons launched in recent weeks were widely seen as an attempt by Hamas to improve the terms of the informal deal.

Sources close to Hamas had said it also wanted other measures to ease living conditions in the territory, including the extension of an industrial zone in the east and an increase in the number of Israeli work permits issued to Gazans once anti-coronavirus restrictions have been lifted.

But disagreements over implementation have fuelled repeated flare-ups with the Islamist group, which has controlled Gaza since 2007.

Such flare-ups escalated into full-blown conflicts in 2008, 2012 and 2014, and mediators have been working to prevent a new war.

Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas said Monday they had reached a Qatari-mediated deal with Israel to end more than three weeks of cross-border attacks. In the latest escalation, Israel has bombed Gaza almost daily since August 6 in response to airborne incendiary devices and, less frequently, rockets launched across the border.

Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas said Monday they had reached a Qatari-mediated deal with Israel to end more than three weeks of cross-border attacks. In the latest escalation, Israel has bombed Gaza almost daily since August 6 in response to airborne incendiary devices and, less frequently, rockets launched across the border. The fire bombs -- crude devices fitted to balloons, inflated condoms or plastic bags -- have triggered more than 400 blazes and damaged swathes of farmland in southern Israel, according to the fire brigade. An Egyptian delegation had been shuttling between the two sides to try to broker the renewal of an informal truce under which Israel committed to ease its 13-year-old blockade of Gaza in return for calm on the border. Also read| Israel-UAE flight may start 'historic' Mideast journey: Kushner The delegation was joined by Emadi, who also held talks with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv. In a statement, he praised the Hamas leadership for reaching a deal in light of the "difficult conditions of Gaza's inhabitants, especially in view of the spread of the coronavirus". A Hamas source told AFP there had been "a total halt" to balloon and other attacks against Israel, in agreement with other factions in the coastal strip, home to some two million people. "Fuel supplies will return and the power station will be restarted from Tuesday," the source said. A punitive Israeli-imposed ban on fuel deliveries cut electricity to just four hours a day, supplied from the Israeli grid. Crossing to reopen COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry unit that oversees civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, said in a statement that after "efforts to calm the situation", it would "resume the routine activity of the Kerem Shalom Crossing, including the entry of fuel products", starting Tuesday. "In addition, the fishing zone of the Gaza Strip will be expanded to 15 nautical miles," it said. Also read| UAE scraps Israel economic boycott after US-brokered deal But, COGAT warned: "If Hamas, which is accountable for all actions that are taken in the Gaza Strip, fails to stand (by) its obligations, Israel will act accordingly." The Hamas source added that work would be allowed to start on the construction of a new power line, while a $30 million Qatari aid tranche for Gaza would be expanded to $35 million, with the difference used to cover public servants' salaries. Financial aid from gas-rich Qatar has been a major component of a truce first agreed more than a year ago and renewed several times since. The fire balloons launched in recent weeks were widely seen as an attempt by Hamas to improve the terms of the informal deal. Sources close to Hamas had said it also wanted other measures to ease living conditions in the territory, including the extension of an industrial zone in the east and an increase in the number of Israeli work permits issued to Gazans once anti-coronavirus restrictions have been lifted. But disagreements over implementation have fuelled repeated flare-ups with the Islamist group, which has controlled Gaza since 2007. Such flare-ups escalated into full-blown conflicts in 2008, 2012 and 2014, and mediators have been working to prevent a new war.

Hamas and Israel strike deal to end Gaza escalation

Israel said its military struck Hamas militant sites in the Gaza Strip early Thursday &nbsp;in response to Palestinians in the enclave launching incendiary balloons that have torched tracts of farmland on the Israeli frontier.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars and numerous smaller flareups since the Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza in 2007. Militants in Islamist Hamas-ruled Gaza in recent days have launched dozens of helium balloons laden with incendiary material in a bid to pressure Israel to ease its blockade of the Strip and allow new economic projects.

The military said its targets included a compound used by Hamas' naval force and underground infrastructure and observation posts. There were no immediate reports of casualties on either side.

Israel also said it would stop shipments of fuel into Gaza.

Israel, which cites security threats from Hamas for its land and naval blockade, had earlier retaliated by closing the Strip's main commercial crossing and striking Hamas military facilities with warplanes, attack helicopters and tanks.

A ceasefire deal brokered last year by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations following a deadly surge in violence was to see Israel allow new development projects, including an industrial zone and a hospital.

Hamas has accused Israel of not fully complying with those understandings. Israel, which deems Hamas a terrorist organisation, shuns direct negotiations and has never publicly acknowledged the deal.

On Wednesday, Israel reduced the area where it permits Palestinians to fish from 15 miles (24 km) to eight miles (13 km), calling it a response to the balloon launches.

(with inputs from agencies)

Israel said its military struck Hamas militant sites in the Gaza Strip early Thursday in response to Palestinians in the enclave launching incendiary balloons that have torched tracts of farmland on the Israeli frontier.

Israel said its military struck Hamas militant sites in the Gaza Strip early Thursday in response to Palestinians in the enclave launching incendiary balloons that have torched tracts of farmland on the Israeli frontier. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars and numerous smaller flareups since the Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza in 2007. Militants in Islamist Hamas-ruled Gaza in recent days have launched dozens of helium balloons laden with incendiary material in a bid to pressure Israel to ease its blockade of the Strip and allow new economic projects. The military said its targets included a compound used by Hamas' naval force and underground infrastructure and observation posts. There were no immediate reports of casualties on either side. Israel also said it would stop shipments of fuel into Gaza. Israel, which cites security threats from Hamas for its land and naval blockade, had earlier retaliated by closing the Strip's main commercial crossing and striking Hamas military facilities with warplanes, attack helicopters and tanks. A ceasefire deal brokered last year by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations following a deadly surge in violence was to see Israel allow new development projects, including an industrial zone and a hospital. Hamas has accused Israel of not fully complying with those understandings. Israel, which deems Hamas a terrorist organisation, shuns direct negotiations and has never publicly acknowledged the deal. On Wednesday, Israel reduced the area where it permits Palestinians to fish from 15 miles (24 km) to eight miles (13 km), calling it a response to the balloon launches. (with inputs from agencies)

Israel strikes Gaza militant sites after incendiary balloons

News Alert: Thousands protests at Israel-Gaza border

Hurling pipe bombs and setting off firecrackers, "Night Disturbance Units" have become a new phenomenon on the Gaza-Israel border in the run-up to the first anniversary of deadly border protests.

Organisers say the intention of the night-time events is to fray the nerves of Israeli military lookouts and to lower morale in Israeli villages along the 30-mile frontier.

With loudspeakers blaring patriotic music into the dark, the dusk-till-dawn demonstrations began small and escalated in recent days, ahead of a massive protest rally expected at sites along the frontier on Saturday.

"We come at night to prove to the occupation that we do not fear your weapons, they should fear us," said one 20-year-old Gazan undergraduate.

“We burn tyres, hurl stones, make noises using firecrackers. Why should our people suffer alone, they should suffer too," added the protester, who would not give his name, fearing Israeli reprisals.

Although scores of Gazans attend, the night protests are not as big as in the daytime. In the dark, the demonstrators cannot see far as they face off against Israeli security forces firing tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition.&nbsp;

LETHAL RESPONSE

Last Sunday a 24-year-old man died after being wounded by Israeli gunfire overnight, said Gaza health officials. The Israeli military said explosives had been hurled at the fence that night, and its forces "struck two Hamas posts in response".

Israeli troops have killed nearly 200 Palestinians at the weekly border protests, which began on March 30 last year, and have wounded thousands more. 
Israel’s lethal response has been criticised by human rights groups, who say it is targeting protesters who pose little threat to heavily armed soldiers. UN investigators said last week that Israeli forces may be guilty of war crimes for using excessive force.

Israel rejects the criticism, saying its troops are defending the border against rioters, and it has no choice but to use lethal force where necessary. Israeli commanders say they are protecting the residents of nearby Israeli towns, who live in fear of Palestinian rockets and militant infiltrators.

"We hear the bombs they throw at our soldiers every night - hundreds of bombs, hundreds of explosions," said Yifat Ben-Shushan, a bleary-eyed mother of two from Nativ Haasara.

Her border village has endured years of shelling attacks by Hamas, but she described the nightly commotion as disruptive on another level.

"A child does not know how to tell the difference between a rocket or someone throwing a bomb," she told Reuters. "I have two children, (and) rise to or three times a night to make sure they are still in their beds."

The Gaza protesters are calling for the lifting of a blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt, and for Palestinians to have the right to return to land from which their families fled or were forced to flee during Israel’s founding in 1948.

The blockade, imposed for security reasons after the militant group Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, has reduced the densely populated coastal strip to economic near collapse.&nbsp;

Israel says the protests are backed by Hamas, which uses them as cover for attacks on the frontier. On Friday Israel`s Foreign Ministry said that in the past year Hamas had fired 1233 rockets from Gaza, set off 94 explosive devices and set fire to more than 8,000 acres of Israeli land near the border.

Security in the south is expected to be an important issue in Israel`s April 9 election, when right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a strong electoral challenge after a decade in power.&nbsp;

Israel and Hamas fought three wars from 2007-2014 and have come close to all-out conflict several times since. The past week saw a major escalation in cross-border fighting after a Palestinian rocket fired deep into Israel wounded seven people.

There were no large-scale protests planned for Friday. With Israeli tanks massed on the border ahead of the anniversary, Palestinian officials said Egyptian mediators were to meet with protest organisers to urge that Saturday`s rally be peaceful.

Hurling pipe bombs and setting off firecrackers, "Night Disturbance Units" have become a new phenomenon on the Gaza-Israel border in the run-up to the first anniversary of deadly border protests.

Hurling pipe bombs and setting off firecrackers, "Night Disturbance Units" have become a new phenomenon on the Gaza-Israel border in the run-up to the first anniversary of deadly border protests. Organisers say the intention of the night-time events is to fray the nerves of Israeli military lookouts and to lower morale in Israeli villages along the 30-mile frontier. With loudspeakers blaring patriotic music into the dark, the dusk-till-dawn demonstrations began small and escalated in recent days, ahead of a massive protest rally expected at sites along the frontier on Saturday. "We come at night to prove to the occupation that we do not fear your weapons, they should fear us," said one 20-year-old Gazan undergraduate. “We burn tyres, hurl stones, make noises using firecrackers. Why should our people suffer alone, they should suffer too," added the protester, who would not give his name, fearing Israeli reprisals. Although scores of Gazans attend, the night protests are not as big as in the daytime. In the dark, the demonstrators cannot see far as they face off against Israeli security forces firing tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition. LETHAL RESPONSE Last Sunday a 24-year-old man died after being wounded by Israeli gunfire overnight, said Gaza health officials. The Israeli military said explosives had been hurled at the fence that night, and its forces "struck two Hamas posts in response". Israeli troops have killed nearly 200 Palestinians at the weekly border protests, which began on March 30 last year, and have wounded thousands more. Israel’s lethal response has been criticised by human rights groups, who say it is targeting protesters who pose little threat to heavily armed soldiers. UN investigators said last week that Israeli forces may be guilty of war crimes for using excessive force. Israel rejects the criticism, saying its troops are defending the border against rioters, and it has no choice but to use lethal force where necessary. Israeli commanders say they are protecting the residents of nearby Israeli towns, who live in fear of Palestinian rockets and militant infiltrators. "We hear the bombs they throw at our soldiers every night - hundreds of bombs, hundreds of explosions," said Yifat Ben-Shushan, a bleary-eyed mother of two from Nativ Haasara. Her border village has endured years of shelling attacks by Hamas, but she described the nightly commotion as disruptive on another level. "A child does not know how to tell the difference between a rocket or someone throwing a bomb," she told Reuters. "I have two children, (and) rise to or three times a night to make sure they are still in their beds." The Gaza protesters are calling for the lifting of a blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt, and for Palestinians to have the right to return to land from which their families fled or were forced to flee during Israel’s founding in 1948. The blockade, imposed for security reasons after the militant group Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, has reduced the densely populated coastal strip to economic near collapse. Israel says the protests are backed by Hamas, which uses them as cover for attacks on the frontier. On Friday Israel`s Foreign Ministry said that in the past year Hamas had fired 1233 rockets from Gaza, set off 94 explosive devices and set fire to more than 8,000 acres of Israeli land near the border. Security in the south is expected to be an important issue in Israel`s April 9 election, when right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a strong electoral challenge after a decade in power. Israel and Hamas fought three wars from 2007-2014 and have come close to all-out conflict several times since. The past week saw a major escalation in cross-border fighting after a Palestinian rocket fired deep into Israel wounded seven people. There were no large-scale protests planned for Friday. With Israeli tanks massed on the border ahead of the anniversary, Palestinian officials said Egyptian mediators were to meet with protest organisers to urge that Saturday`s rally be peaceful.

Gaza's 'night disturbers' put Israeli border villagers on edge ahead of anniversary

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/we-will-do-what-is-necessary-to-defend-our-people-netanyahu-after-airstrikes-on-gaza-strip-205845">Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu</a> said Thursday <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-launches-strikes-on-hamas-in-gaza-after-rocket-205592">Israel</a> is prepared for a widespread military campaign in Gaza as tensions simmered following the latest flare-up -- but only after all other options were exhausted.

Netanyahu has been seeking to head off political pressure over Gaza ahead of April 9 elections, in which he faces a strong challenge from former military chief Benny Gantz.

"In recent days I gave instructions to fortify forces, to add vehicles, to be prepared for a comprehensive campaign," he said during the inauguration of a new road in northern Israel.

The premier, who was speaking after visiting military forces on the Gaza border, noted however that a war would be the last option.&nbsp;

"All Israelis should know that if a comprehensive campaign is required, we will enter it strong and safe, after we have exhausted all other possibilities," said Netanyahu, who also serves as defence minister.

Palestinian militants had on Monday fired a long-distance rocket from the Gaza Strip, hitting a house north of Tel Aviv and wounding seven Israelis, triggering Israeli air strikes and further Palestinian fire at southern Israel.

Netanyahu beefed up the military presence near Gaza, but by Wednesday the fighting had abated after Hamas announced a ceasefire brokered by Egypt.

Israel has been carefully monitoring the situation on the Gaza border ahead of Saturday, which will mark a year since mass protests and deadly clashes began there.

A demonstration on the day of the anniversary is expected to draw thousands of Palestinians.&nbsp;

A Hamas official said an Egyptian delegation met with the Islamist movement's leader Ismail Haniya in Gaza City on Wednesday night in further efforts to calm tensions.

The official said the delegation informed Hamas and its allies in Gaza that Israel had agreed to measures such as improving the electricity supply in the strip, which suffers from severe power shortages.

In exchange, Hamas would be expected to maintain calm at the weekly protests along the Gaza border, including during Saturday's anniversary.

It was unclear whether any progress had been made, and an Egyptian official said they would continue to mediate between the sides to try and maintain calm.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday Israel is prepared for a widespread military campaign in Gaza as tensions simmered following the latest flare-up -- but only after all other options were exhausted.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday Israel is prepared for a widespread military campaign in Gaza as tensions simmered following the latest flare-up -- but only after all other options were exhausted. Netanyahu has been seeking to head off political pressure over Gaza ahead of April 9 elections, in which he faces a strong challenge from former military chief Benny Gantz. "In recent days I gave instructions to fortify forces, to add vehicles, to be prepared for a comprehensive campaign," he said during the inauguration of a new road in northern Israel. The premier, who was speaking after visiting military forces on the Gaza border, noted however that a war would be the last option. "All Israelis should know that if a comprehensive campaign is required, we will enter it strong and safe, after we have exhausted all other possibilities," said Netanyahu, who also serves as defence minister. Palestinian militants had on Monday fired a long-distance rocket from the Gaza Strip, hitting a house north of Tel Aviv and wounding seven Israelis, triggering Israeli air strikes and further Palestinian fire at southern Israel. Netanyahu beefed up the military presence near Gaza, but by Wednesday the fighting had abated after Hamas announced a ceasefire brokered by Egypt. Israel has been carefully monitoring the situation on the Gaza border ahead of Saturday, which will mark a year since mass protests and deadly clashes began there. A demonstration on the day of the anniversary is expected to draw thousands of Palestinians. A Hamas official said an Egyptian delegation met with the Islamist movement's leader Ismail Haniya in Gaza City on Wednesday night in further efforts to calm tensions. The official said the delegation informed Hamas and its allies in Gaza that Israel had agreed to measures such as improving the electricity supply in the strip, which suffers from severe power shortages. In exchange, Hamas would be expected to maintain calm at the weekly protests along the Gaza border, including during Saturday's anniversary. It was unclear whether any progress had been made, and an Egyptian official said they would continue to mediate between the sides to try and maintain calm.

Prepared for 'comprehensive' Gaza operation: Benjamin Netanyahu

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Hamas and Israel strike deal to end Gaza escalation

Israel strikes Gaza militant sites after incendiary balloons

News Alert: Thousands protests at Israel-Gaza border

Gaza's 'night disturbers' put Israeli border villagers on edge ahead of anniversary

Prepared for 'comprehensive' Gaza operation: Benjamin Netanyahu