According to the official, the new policy means the Israeli military will halt the deliberate attacks in Gaza and will open fire only in retaliation to Gaza militant fire.
"We are now on 'unlimited ceasefire,' as decided by the political echelon," the source said. The Prime Minister's Office was not immediately available to comment.
However, according to local media reports the military seems to hold fire from ground and air, but will continue to destroy Hamas' cross-border tunnels.
The rocket fire from Gaza has also declined sharply Monday, with a single incident in which a rocket was fired this morning at the city of Ashkelon on Israel's southern coast and hit an open field.
A spokesperson with the Israeli military said that following the incident, "the Israel Defense Forces retaliated towards Beit Lahyia area, from which the rocket was fired."
The ongoing fighting between Hamas movement and the Israeli army in Gaza which started on July 8 has claimed lives of more than 1,030 Palestinians, at least 720 of them were civilians, according to the UN and Palestinian health officials. On the Israeli side, 46 people were killed, 43 of them were soldiers, according to the Israeli military and police.
The new lull policy comes a day after U.S. President Barack Obama spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding "an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire that ends hostilities now and leads to a permanent cessation of hostilities based on the November 2012 ceasefire agreement" brokered by Egypt.............................http://www.china.org.cn/world/2014-07/28/content_33079406.htm
28/7/14
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- Israel must prepare for protracted Gaza campaign: Netanyahu...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday his country must prepare for a long conflict in the Gaza Strip, squashing any hopes of a swift end to fighting that has already cost more than 1,000 lives.
In a televised address, a grim-faced Netanyahu said that any solution to the crisis would require the demilitarization of the Palestinian territory, which is controlled by Hamas Islamists and their militant allies.
Earlier, the Israeli army said Palestinian fighters had slipped across the border from the Gaza Strip, with media reporting casualties in an ensuing gunbattle. There were also reports of four Israeli deaths in a mortar attack, as an unofficial truce called for the Muslim Eid al-Fitr festival disintegrated.
"We need to be prepared for a protracted campaign. We will continue to act with force and discretion until our mission is accomplished," Netanyahu said........................http://www.todayonline.com/world/israel-must-prepared-protracted-gaza-campaign-netanyahu
28/7/14
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Netanyahu: Gaza operation won't end until tunnels destroyed; five Israelis killed by Gaza mortar fire; rocket barrage fired at north; Palestinians: Three killed in IDF strike on Gaza hospital.....
ReplyDeleteOperation Protective Edge entered its 21st day on Monday, as Israeli ground forces continued their incursion into Gaza following the goverrnment rejection of a cease-fire draft proposed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry a day early.
The UN Security Council called on Monday morning (Israel time) for "an immediate and unconditional humanitarian cease-fire" in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, joining a similar call by U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday evening.
According to statements by the Palestinian Health Ministry, since the operation began 1,065 Palestinians were killed and over 6,200 were wounded. Since the start of the operation, three Israeli civilians and 48 IDF soldiers have been killed......................http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.607542