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Israel-Gaza conflict: Fighting slows across Gaza Strip as UN calls for 'immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire' Israel-Gaza conflict: Israel declares 'unlimited truce' across Gaza Strip but reserves right to respond to Hamas rocket fire
(about 7 hours later)
The start of Eid has been marked by a reduction in fighting in the Gaza Strip, after the UN Security Council called for both sides to observe an immediate ceasefire. The Israeli military has declared an "unlimited truce" in Gaza as Palestinians celebrated the Muslim holiday Eid, following calls from the UN Security Council for both sides to observe an immediate ceasefire.
At a meeting of the council just after midnight (4am GMT) on Monday morning, the Israeli army and Hamas were urged to "accept and fully implement a humanitarian ceasefire into the Eid period and beyond". An uneasy lull in the fighting began at around 9.30pm last night after Hamas said it wanted a 24-hour pause to mark Eid al-Fitr, celebrating the end of the Ramadan fast.
Residents of Gaza met with family-members to celebrate the end of the Ramadan fast, but described the struggle to "feel any joy right now" with the backdrop of the conflict. And though a small number of rockets continued to fly from Gaza over the course of Monday - to which the Israeli army responded with tank and artillery shelling - it represented a significant reduction in violence and one of the calmest nights in the three-week conflict.
But while the Israeli military said today that it was continuing its campaign to destroy cross-border tunnels dug by Hamas to launch attacks inside Israel, both sides appeared to observe a reduction in missile and rocket strikes. Speaking to Israel Radio today, the military's chief spokesperson Brigadier General Motti Almoz said: "The situation is an unlimited truce."
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said Hamas fired a single rocket towards Ashkelon in the morning hours, without casualties or damage, to which it responded by shelling "the source of the rocket fire in Beit Lahia". He nonetheless added that "the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) are free to attack after any fire if there is any."
Described as a "relative lull" since 9.30pm on Sunday night, it came after a weekend in which both sides rejected each-other's suggestions of truces and more deaths were added to the 1,030 Palestinians and 45 Israelis killed so far. The Security Council, which held an emergency meeting just after midnight (4am GMT) on Monday, had urged both sides to "accept and fully implement a humanitarian ceasefire into the Eid period and beyond".
That figure on the Palestinian side was reduced by 30 overnight by the Gaza Health Ministry, which said a number of people had been reunited with family-members feared missing. This afternoon, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said representatives from Hamas and Israel had "expressed serious interest" in his request for a more formal 24-hour ceasefire on humanitarian grounds, though "have not yet agreed on the timing of its implementation".
If there were hopes that a form of peace could be wrought by the UN's firm statement on Monday morning, though, they were challenged by both the Israelis and Palestinian representatives at the council meeting. The lull today was certainly only relative; at least 12 rockets were observed coming from Gaza throughout the day, the IDF said, while Gazan residents reported Israeli shelling in the east and north of the Strip.
Health officials said two people, including a five-year-old boy, were killed in one of the attacks.
Israeli air, sea and ground attacks have killed some 1,037 Palestinians, mainly civilians and including many children, Gaza officials say. Israel says 43 of its soldiers have died, along with three civilians killed by rocket and mortar fire from Gaza.
The UN's call for an end to violence was reinforced today by a personal phone call in which the US President Barack Obama urged the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold fire "unconditionally".
But while Israel has already said it favours an Egypt-led peace proposal for an immediate ceasefire followed by subsequent talks, it is Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad who have said simply going back to the terms of previous truces is not enough.
Deputy Islamic Jihad chief Zeyad Al-Nakhala hailed progress on mediation, but said in a public broadcast: "We are days away from the end of the battle, the clouds will clear and you (Palestinians) will see victory. We will not accept anything less than ending the blockade."
If there were hopes earlier that a form of peace could be wrought by the UN Security Council's firm presidential statement - one level short of a resolution - they were challenged by both the Israeli and Palestinian representatives at the council meeting.
The Palestinian UN ambassador, Riyad Mansour, criticised the council for not adopting a strong and legally-binding resolution demanding an immediate halt to Israel's "aggression", providing the Palestinian people with protection and lifting the siege in the Gaza Strip so goods and people can move freely.The Palestinian UN ambassador, Riyad Mansour, criticised the council for not adopting a strong and legally-binding resolution demanding an immediate halt to Israel's "aggression", providing the Palestinian people with protection and lifting the siege in the Gaza Strip so goods and people can move freely.
Israel's UN ambassador, Ron Prosor, said the presidential statement didn't mention Hamas or the firing of rockets into Israel or Israel's right to defend itself.Israel's UN ambassador, Ron Prosor, said the presidential statement didn't mention Hamas or the firing of rockets into Israel or Israel's right to defend itself.
Palestinian UN ambassador Riyad Mansour, left, speaks following a meeting of the Security Council early on Monday, 28 July He sidestepped several questions on whether Israel would accept a new humanitarian ceasefire, but stressed that it had agreed to five truces since the conflict began.Palestinian UN ambassador Riyad Mansour, left, speaks following a meeting of the Security Council early on Monday, 28 July He sidestepped several questions on whether Israel would accept a new humanitarian ceasefire, but stressed that it had agreed to five truces since the conflict began.
"Every single time the international community called for a ceasefire, we ceased and Hamas fired," he said."Every single time the international community called for a ceasefire, we ceased and Hamas fired," he said.