Hamas and Israel reached a Qatari-brokered deal to end the latest round of violence, the Gaza administration announced Aug. 31. The deal also includes several projects serving the Gaza Strip. Hamas thanked the Qatari ambassador to Palestine, Mohammad al-Emadi, for his efforts.
Since the beginning of August, tensions have grown in the Gaza Strip, with incendiary balloons lighting fires in Israel in an effort to force it to ease the siege in place on Gaza since 2006. Israel responded with airstrikes on Hamas positions and closed off access to the sea. It also closed the only open trade crossing with Gaza and halted fuel shipments, leaving Gazans with less than four hours of electricity per day.