World leaders praised the cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, which ended 11 days of hostilities, but say now is the time for the two sides to build on the agreement for a lasting peace.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the cease-fire, tweeting, “Israeli and Palestinian leaders have a responsibility beyond the restoration of calm to start a serious dialogue to address the root causes of the conflict.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Thursday night announced that Israel would accept an Egyptian-brokered truce with Hamas that came into force at 2 a.m. Friday. Cairo said it would send two delegations to monitor the warring parties’ commitment to the cease-fire, Reuters reports.
The cease-fire halted the worst fighting the region has seen since the 2014 war. Israel said more than 4,300 rockets fired from Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza killed 12 people in Israel, including two children. Israeli airstrikes in the Palestinian enclave killed 232 people, including 65 children, health officials in Gaza said.
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