Dominican Republic teacher dies: Officials say American Patricia Anton was found dead in her home after apparent robbery - CBS News

Last Updated Nov 14, 2019 7:47 AM EST

An American teacher's death in the Dominican Republic was being investigated Thursday as a murder. Police said they found Patricia Anton deceased in her apartment in Puerto Plata, on the country's northern coast, with her hands and feet bound.

Officials have said the 63-year-old was strangled.

CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan said police have not yet indicated the identification of any potential suspects in the case, but they've revealed that Anton's death may have been part of a burglary.

Investigators said multiple items were missing from her apartment, including a cellphone, laptop, television, sheets and a pair of sports shoes.

Anton, from Michigan, dedicated her life to helping children. She had lived in the Dominican Republic for the last five years, where she worked as a consultant at an elementary school.

The school's website said she had more than 20 years of teaching experience and was previously a legislative aide at the Michigan state capitol.

It is with much sadness and an extremely heavy heart that we send this message out tonight. Patty Anton, our Montessori...

Posted by 3 Mariposas Montessori on Wednesday, November 13, 2019

On their Facebook page, school administrators at the 3 Mariposas Montessori school said Anton would "light up a room upon entering it and be sure to make everyone smile and laugh with her wonderful sense of humor."

"She shared our belief that peace in the world can only come from getting close to and understanding people who are different from ourselves," the school said. "That is why she gave her heart and soul to our school." 

Anton is one of at least 11 Americans who have died in the Dominican Republic this year. The rest have been tourists, and the reasons range from natural causes to deaths possibly linked to tainted alcohol.

Anton's body was to be taken to a lab in the country for further testing. Police have urged anyone with knowledge of the crime to come forward.

The U.S. State Department did not offer any immediate comment on the American's death.

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2019-11-14 11:15:00Z
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Gaza militants fire 5 rockets at Israel hours after cease-fire declared - Fox News

Five rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip toward Israel just hours after a cease-fire was declared between Israel and Gaza’s militant Islamic Jihad group early Thursday morning, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson confirmed.

CEASE-FIRE REACHED WITH ISRAEL TO END GAZA FIGHTING, ISLAMIC JIHAD SAYS

An explosion caused by Israeli airstrikes is seen in Gaza City, early Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Two of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome aerial defense system.

The cease-fire was meant to halt a 48-hour surge in cross-border fighting sparked by the assassination of top Islamic Jihad leader Baha Abu al-Ata along with his wife.

The IDF said Wednesday it was “raining rockets” across the country, with Gaza militants firing one projectile every seven minutes since Baha Abu al-Ata was killed by the Israeli military in a targeted airstrike Tuesday morning.

"Baha Abu Al Ata was the senior commander of Islamic Jihad in Gaza, responsible for most attacks emanating from Gaza over the last year," IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi said Tuesday. "He was a ticking time-bomb ... there was a window of opportunity that we utilized precisely."

The Islamic Jihad leader was also actively planning new attacks against Israel, an IDF spokesperson said.

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At least 34 Palestinians, including three women and eight children have been killed in the two-day barrage.

Fox News' Talia Kaplan and the Associated Press contributed to this report

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2019-11-14 11:08:33Z
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Student protesters fortify campus occupations as Hong Kong braces for more violence - CNN

The level of unrest and destruction in the almost six-month-long protest movement has reached new and unnerving heights in recent days, with several people critically injured and Chinese state media warning radical protesters, "You are on the edge of doom."

Sporadic clashes broke out Thursday morning, as police fired tear gas at protesters near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Kowloon. While on Hong Kong Island, roads surrounding the University of Hong Kong were blocked by protesters, resulting in traffic delays.

Universities have emerged as a new focal point of the protest movement, with numerous campuses across the city becoming home to heavily fortified temporary protest camps.

At the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in the New Territories, several thousand protesters have effectively barricaded themselves inside the grounds, blocking all entrances for the third straight day.

The CUHK campus was on Tuesday the scene of some of the most intense fighting in the city since demonstrations began in June, with hundreds of riot police firing more than 1,567 canisters of tear gas during a chaotic and ultimately aborted clearance operation.

Throughout Wednesday and Thursday, protesters and those helping them continued to pour into the sprawling grounds by road and by foot, bringing supplies, including protective gear, food and water.

A highly organized operation was launched inside the campus, sorting and distributing the supplies, building and reinforcing barricades, and stockpiling weapons, including petrol bombs, bows and arrows, javelins, and pieces of wood hammered with nails.

So far police have appeared reticent to return to the university despite a Hong Kong court rejecting an application by students to block police from entering the campus without a warrant.

Many overseas students studying at the university have been asked to leave by their home colleges and CUHK administrators announced the early cancellation of classes, stopping the fall semester around two weeks early. On Wednesday, police said they had evacuated several students from mainland China via police boat, because the roads were blocked by protesters.

The effects of the campus unrest could be felt across the city Thursday, with continued travel disruptions and protesters, including large numbers of office workers on their lunch break, taking over the busy streets in Central district for a fourth straight day. Office workers also came out in support of the student protesters in Tai Koo, in the east of the city.

Two of the three tunnels connecting Hong Kong Island with the Kowloon peninsula, including the busiest Cross-Harbour Tunnel, were closed to traffic Thursday morning and the MTR continued to suspend service at several stations.

All schools have suspended classes for the rest of the week -- the first such instance since protests began.

Critical injuries

The protests this week have taken a dark turn, with more people critically injured than at any point in the long-running movement.

Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said 67 people were treated in hospitals in total on Wednesday with injuries related to the protests.

On Wednesday, a 70-year-old man was hospitalized and remains in critical condition after being hit on the head by a brick thrown by a protester, police said.

The injured man was on a lunch break from his job as a cleaner when he voluntarily began clearing bricks from the road with other members of the public, according to police. Video of the alleged incident shows protesters and government supporters hurling bricks at one another before a man falls to the ground.

A 15-year-old boy was struck in the head by what is believed to be a tear gas canister and is also in critical condition, according to Hong Kong's Hospital Authority.

Earlier in the week, a protester was shot by police and a man was set on fire following a dispute with protesters Monday.

'You are on the edge of doom'

The major escalation in political unrest this week has once again raised questions over what will happen next. Looming over those conversations is the specter of a possible Chinese intervention.

On Thursday, China's top state-run television channel issued an online editorial telling protesters their actions are "undisguised terrorism."

"We have had enough talking, persuasion and warnings. To stop the unrest has to be implemented and advanced more resolutely now. The country will never accept the situation to be out of control, justice to be covered or Hong Kong to be sunk," the editorial from CCTV read.

It echoed an editorial in the state-run tabloid Global Times suggesting the People's Armed Police and the People's Liberation Army were ready to back up Hong Kong's government "when necessary."

"We also warn the radical protesters: You are on the edge of doom. Those who are coerced to be 'valiant' should walk away as soon as possible when you still can make the call," the editorial said.

However, it is not clear if Beijing has a red line, and what it would take for protesters to cross it before provoking a Chinese military response.

Analysts say it is still a question that Beijing is actively considering.

"It's smart not to state a clear red line because you are going to have to act on it to keep your credibility once that line has been breached. And there is every likelihood that protesters would actively seek to breach that line," Adam Ni, a China researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney told CNN last month.

The Chinese government has hinted that it might be looking at new ways of resolving the crisis in Hong Kong, both short-term and long-term.

After a meeting of a top Chinese Communist Party body in October, senior Chinese official Shen Chunyao said that Beijing would work to improve the legal system and strengthen "law enforcement" in Hong Kong, and neighboring Macao.

He added it was time to introduce new lessons in "patriotism" across Hong Kong, a move which has been discussed by the Chinese government for a long time.

On Tuesday, the Chinese government unveiled a new range of patriotic education measures for the country, which according to state-run Xinhua would "focus on young Chinese."

"Patriotism should be embedded in the whole process of school education," the article said.

Buried in point 20 of the new patriotic education outline is a call to "guide" the citizens of Hong Kong and Macao to "enhance their national identity and consciously safeguard national unity."

CNN's James Griffiths, Sandi Sidhu, Julia Hollingsworth, Isaac Yee, Joshua Berlinger and Chermaine Lee contributed reporting.

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2019-11-14 10:27:00Z
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Fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza amid reports of fire exchange - Al Jazeera English

A ceasefire between Islamic Jihad and Israel has largely held in the Gaza Strip since Thursday morning, amid reports of cross-border fire exchange.

The agreement reportedly brokered by Egypt came into effect after two days of cross-border fighting and Israeli air attacks killed at least 34 Palestinians, including eight members of the same family.

Gaza health ministry on Thursday identified them as members of the Abu Malhous family from Deir al-Balah area.

At least 63 Israelis received treatment for injuries from rocket attacks launched from Gaza.

Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett, reporting from near the Gaza fence, said there seems to be a "real fragility" to the ceasefire, which came into force at 5:30am local time (03:30 GMT), according to the Islamic Jihad group spokesman Musab al-Braim.

"We heard from our colleagues in Gaza, that more rockets have been fired out of Gaza, and around the same time, we heard here what sounded like outgoing Israeli artillery," Fawcett said, without being able to confirm. 

"The ceasefire that had been holding for about four or five hours appears to be less firm," he noted. "This is what the UN envoy to the region … was warning of. He said the coming hours and days would be crucial in trying to avert a wider war."

The latest violence escalated after Israel killed top Islamic Jihad commander Bahaa Abu al-Ata in an air raid on Tuesday, deeming him an imminent threat.

Fawcett said that the terms of the ceasefire agreement are a "little bit different, depending on who you listen to".

Al-Braim told Al Jazeera that his group had secured concessions from Israel.

"The deal included the occupation's submission to conditions, which is to stop the assassinations, particularly of the protesters in the March of Return demonstrations, and to begin practically the procedures to break the siege," he said.

According to an Islamic Jihad official, the agreement stipulates that Palestinian factions must ensure a return to calm in Gaza and "maintain peace" during demonstrations, while Israel must stop hostilities and "ensure a ceasefire" during demonstrations by Palestinians.

A top Egyptian official told the AFP news agency that his country had undertaken efforts to end the two days of fighting that saw Israel bombing dozens of houses and farms in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

'Situation remains tense'

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a Twitter post that the two-day round of fighting in Gaza "is over", confirming the ceasefire. 

Despite the ceasefire announcement, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Israel would follow suit only if Palestinian factions in Gaza stop attacks - denying that Israel had changed open-fire policy as demanded by the Islamic Jihad group for the truce.

"Quiet will be answered with quiet," Katz said on Thursday in remarks made to local media.

"The State of Israel will not hesitate to strike at those who try to harm it, from the Gaza Strip or from anywhere else."

Al Jazeera's Fawcett said that while Islamic Jihad said it had secured from Israel an undertaking not to carry on with targeted assassinations and not to use live fire at the border protests on Fridays, an Israeli official has been quoted in local media as saying that is not the case with regards to the protests.

"Israel doesn't usually acknowledge ceasefires with groups such as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad ... However, it does show that the situation remains tense," he added.

The Gaza Strip has been under a joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade for more than a decade, which has severely curtailed freedom of movement for the population of two million. The flow of goods and services, as well as medical supplies, is also severely hampered due to the crippling siege.

Palestinians have been gathering near the perimeter fence to participate in the Great March of Return, a series of weekly protests that began in March 2018, calling for an end to the 12-year-old land and air siege.

Since the Gaza rallies began, 313 Palestinian protesters have been killed by Israeli fire and thousands more wounded, according to the health ministry. Eight Israelis have been killed over the same period.

Death of Islamic Jihad commander

Following the Israeli attack on Tuesday that killed Islamic Jihad commander Bahaa Abu al-Ata in Gaza, the two sides had been exchanging fire, with Israel's military saying it recorded more than 350 incoming rockets.

Israel said Abu al-Ata was responsible for rocket fire as well as other attacks and was planning more violence, with the military calling him a "ticking bomb".

In Israel, air raid sirens wailed and fireballs exploded as air defence missiles intercepted rockets, sending Israelis rushing to bomb shelters.

In Gaza, residents surveyed the damage and mourned their dead.

United Nations envoy Nickolay Mladenov arrived in Cairo on Wednesday afternoon, airport officials said, following reports he was to hold talks aimed at halting the fighting.

The UN and Egypt have been instrumental in mediating previous ceasefires between Israel and Gaza-based armed groups.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Islamic Jihad must stop its rocket attacks or "absorb more and more blows".

An Islamic Jihad spokesman had said the group was not interested in mediation as it retaliated over the killing of one of its commanders.

The flare-up raised fears of a new all-out conflict between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza, which has seen three major Israeli military operations in the past decade.

Gaza health ministry said the death toll in two days of Israeli air raids had risen to 34 [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu]

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2019-11-14 10:24:00Z
52780433597497

Student protesters fortify campus occupations as Hong Kong braces for more violence - CNN

The level of unrest and destruction in the almost six-month-long protest movement has reached new and unnerving heights in recent days, with several people critically injured and Chinese state media warning radical protesters, "You are on the edge of doom."

Sporadic clashes broke out Thursday morning, as police fired tear gas at protesters near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Kowloon. While on Hong Kong Island, roads surrounding the University of Hong Kong were blocked by protesters, resulting in traffic delays.

Universities have emerged as a new focal point of the protest movement, with numerous campuses across the city becoming home to heavily fortified temporary protest camps.

At the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in the New Territories, several thousand protesters have effectively barricaded themselves inside the grounds, blocking all entrances for the third straight day.

The CUHK campus was on Tuesday the scene of some of the most intense fighting in the city since demonstrations began in June, with hundreds of riot police firing more than 1,567 canisters of tear gas during a chaotic and ultimately aborted clearance operation.

Throughout Wednesday and Thursday, protesters and those helping them continued to pour into the sprawling grounds by road and by foot, bringing supplies, including protective gear, food and water.

A highly organized operation was launched inside the campus, sorting and distributing the supplies, building and reinforcing barricades, and stockpiling weapons, including petrol bombs, bows and arrows, javelins, and pieces of wood hammered with nails.

So far police have appeared reticent to return to the university despite a Hong Kong court rejecting an application by students to block police from entering the campus without a warrant.

Many overseas students studying at the university have been asked to leave by their home colleges and CUHK administrators announced the early cancellation of classes, stopping the fall semester around two weeks early. On Wednesday, police said they had evacuated several students from mainland China via police boat, because the roads were blocked by protesters.

The effects of the campus unrest could be felt across the city Thursday, with continued travel disruptions and protesters, including large numbers of office workers on their lunch break, taking over the busy streets in Central district for a fourth straight day. Office workers also came out in support of the student protesters in Tai Koo, in the east of the city.

Two of the three tunnels connecting Hong Kong Island with the Kowloon peninsula, including the busiest Cross-Harbour Tunnel, were closed to traffic Thursday morning and the MTR continued to suspend service at several stations.

All schools have suspended classes for the rest of the week -- the first such instance since protests began.

Critical injuries

The protests this week have taken a dark turn, with more people critically injured than at any point in the long-running movement.

Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said 67 people were treated in hospitals in total on Wednesday with injuries related to the protests.

On Wednesday, a 70-year-old man was hospitalized and remains in critical condition after being hit on the head by a brick thrown by a protester, police said.

The injured man was on a lunch break from his job as a cleaner when he voluntarily began clearing bricks from the road with other members of the public, according to police. Video of the alleged incident shows protesters and government supporters hurling bricks at one another before a man falls to the ground.

A 15-year-old boy was struck in the head by what is believed to be a tear gas canister and is also in critical condition, according to Hong Kong's Hospital Authority.

Earlier in the week, a protester was shot by police and a man was set on fire following a dispute with protesters Monday.

'You are on the edge of doom'

The major escalation in political unrest this week has once again raised questions over what will happen next. Looming over those conversations is the specter of a possible Chinese intervention.

On Thursday, China's top state-run television channel issued an online editorial telling protesters their actions are "undisguised terrorism."

"We have had enough talking, persuasion and warnings. To stop the unrest has to be implemented and advanced more resolutely now. The country will never accept the situation to be out of control, justice to be covered or Hong Kong to be sunk," the editorial from CCTV read.

It echoed an editorial in the state-run tabloid Global Times suggesting the People's Armed Police and the People's Liberation Army were ready to back up Hong Kong's government "when necessary."

"We also warn the radical protesters: You are on the edge of doom. Those who are coerced to be 'valiant' should walk away as soon as possible when you still can make the call," the editorial said.

However, it is not clear if Beijing has a red line, and what it would take for protesters to cross it before provoking a Chinese military response.

Analysts say it is still a question that Beijing is actively considering.

"It's smart not to state a clear red line because you are going to have to act on it to keep your credibility once that line has been breached. And there is every likelihood that protesters would actively seek to breach that line," Adam Ni, a China researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney told CNN last month.

The Chinese government has hinted that it might be looking at new ways of resolving the crisis in Hong Kong, both short-term and long-term.

After a meeting of a top Chinese Communist Party body in October, senior Chinese official Shen Chunyao said that Beijing would work to improve the legal system and strengthen "law enforcement" in Hong Kong, and neighboring Macao.

He added it was time to introduce new lessons in "patriotism" across Hong Kong, a move which has been discussed by the Chinese government for a long time.

On Tuesday, the Chinese government unveiled a new range of patriotic education measures for the country, which according to state-run Xinhua would "focus on young Chinese."

"Patriotism should be embedded in the whole process of school education," the article said.

Buried in point 20 of the new patriotic education outline is a call to "guide" the citizens of Hong Kong and Macao to "enhance their national identity and consciously safeguard national unity."

CNN's James Griffiths, Sandi Sidhu, Julia Hollingsworth, Isaac Yee, Joshua Berlinger and Chermaine Lee contributed reporting.

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2019-11-14 09:40:00Z
52780435950054

Student protesters fortify campus occupations as Hong Kong braces for more violence - CNN

The level of unrest and destruction in the almost six-month-long protest movement has reached new and unnerving heights in recent days, with several people critically injured and Chinese state media warning radical protesters, "You are on the edge of doom."

Sporadic clashes broke out Thursday morning, as police confronted protesters near the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Kowloon. While on Hong Kong Island, roads surrounding the University of Hong Kong were blocked by protesters, resulting in traffic delays.

Universities have emerged as a new focal point of the protest movement, with numerous campuses across the city becoming home to heavily fortified temporary protest camps.

At the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in the New Territories, several thousand protesters have effectively barricaded themselves inside the grounds, blocking all entrances for the third straight day on Thursday.

The CUHK campus was on Tuesday the scene of some of the most intense fighting in the city since demonstrations began in June, with hundreds of riot police firing more than 1,567 canisters of tear gas during a chaotic and ultimately aborted clearance operation.

Throughout the day Wednesday and Thursday, protesters and those helping them poured into the sprawling grounds by road and by foot, bringing supplies, including protective gear, food and water.

A highly organized operation was launched inside the campus, sorting and distributing the supplies, building and reinforcing barricades, and stockpiling weapons, including petrol bombs, bows and arrows, javelins, and pieces of wood hammered with nails.

So far police have appeared reticent to return to the university despite a Hong Kong court rejecting an application by students to block police from entering the campus without a warrant.

Many overseas students studying at the university have been asked to leave by their home colleges and CUHK administrators announced the early cancellation of classes, stopping the fall semester around two weeks early. On Wednesday, police said they had evacuated several students from mainland China via police boat, because the roads were blocked by protesters.

The effects of the campus unrest could be felt across the city Thursday, with continued travel disruptions and protesters, including large numbers of office workers on their lunch break, taking over the busy streets in Central district for a fourth straight day. Office workers also came out in support of the student protesters in Tai Koo, in the east of the city.

Two of the three tunnels connecting Hong Kong Island with the Kowloon peninsula, including the busiest Cross-Harbour Tunnel, were closed to traffic Thursday morning and the MTR continued to suspend service at several stations.

All schools have suspended classes for the rest of the week -- the first such instance since protests began.

Critical injuries

The protests this week have taken a dark turn, with more people critically injured than at any point in the long-running movement.

Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said 67 people were treated in hospitals in total on Wednesday with injuries related to the protests.

On Wednesday, a 70-year-old man was hospitalized and remains in critical condition after being hit on the head by a brick thrown by a protester, police said.

The injured man was on a lunch break from his job as a cleaner when he voluntarily began clearing bricks from the road with other members of the public, according to police. Video of the alleged incident shows protesters and government supporters hurling bricks at one another before a man falls to the ground.

A 15-year-old boy was struck in the head by what is believed to be a tear gas canister and is also in critical condition, according to Hong Kong's Hospital Authority.

Earlier in the week, a protester was shot by police and a man was set on fire following a dispute with protesters Monday.

'You are on the edge of doom'

The major escalation in political unrest this week has once again raised questions over what will happen next. Looming over those conversations is the specter of a possible Chinese intervention.

On Thursday, China's top state-run television channel issued an online editorial telling protesters their actions are "undisguised terrorism."

"We have had enough talking, persuasion and warnings. To stop the unrest has to be implemented and advanced more resolutely now. The country will never accept the situation to be out of control, justice to be covered or Hong Kong to be sunk," the editorial from CCTV read.

It echoed an editorial in the state-run tabloid Global Times suggesting the People's Armed Police and the People's Liberation Army were ready to back up Hong Kong's government "when necessary."

"We also warn the radical protesters: You are on the edge of doom. Those who are coerced to be 'valiant' should walk away as soon as possible when you still can make the call," the editorial said.

However, it is not clear if Beijing has a red line, and what it would take for protesters to cross it before provoking a Chinese military response.

Analysts say it is still a question that Beijing is actively considering.

"It's smart not to state a clear red line because you are going to have to act on it to keep your credibility once that line has been breached. And there is every likelihood that protesters would actively seek to breach that line," Adam Ni, a China researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney told CNN last month.

The Chinese government has hinted that it might be looking at new ways of resolving the crisis in Hong Kong, both short-term and long-term.

After a meeting of a top Chinese Communist Party body in October, senior Chinese official Shen Chunyao said that Beijing would work to improve the legal system and strengthen "law enforcement" in Hong Kong, and neighboring Macao.

He added it was time to introduce new lessons in "patriotism" across Hong Kong, a move which has been discussed by the Chinese government for a long time.

On Tuesday, the Chinese government unveiled a new range of patriotic education measures for the country, which according to state-run Xinhua would "focus on young Chinese."

"Patriotism should be embedded in the whole process of school education," the article said.

Buried in point 20 of the new patriotic education outline is a call to "guide" the citizens of Hong Kong and Macao to "enhance their national identity and consciously safeguard national unity."

CNN's James Griffiths, Sandi Sidhu, Julia Hollingsworth, Isaac Yee, Joshua Berlinger and Chermaine Lee contributed reporting.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/14/asia/hong-kong-protests-universities-violence-intl-hnk/index.html

2019-11-14 09:24:00Z
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Islamic Jihad and Israel agree on Gaza ceasefire - Al Jazeera English

An Egypt-brokered ceasefire between Islamic Jihad and Israel has taken effect in Gaza Strip after two days of cross-border fighting and Israeli air attacks killed at least 34 Palestinians.

The truce was in force from 5:30am local time (03:30 GMT), the group's spokesman, Musab al-Braim, told Reuters news agency, marking about 48 hours since Israel sparked the exchange of fire by killing the faction's top Gaza commander in an air raid, deeming him an imminent threat.

Gaza health ministry said on Thursday that eight members of the Abu Malhous family were among the 34 Gazans killed in the Israeli assault. At least 63 Israelis received treatment for injuries in rocket attacks fired from Gaza.

Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett, reporting from near the Gaza fence, said the ceasefire appears to be holding so far.

"There is an uneasy calm at the moment … The terms of the ceasefire are a little bit different, depending on who you listen to," he said.

Al-Braim told Al Jazeera that his group secured concessions from Israel.

"The deal included the occupation's submission to conditions, which is to stop the assassinations, particularly of the protestors in the March of Return demonstrations, and to begin practically the procedures to break the siege," he said.

According to an Islamic Jihad official, the agreement stipulates that Palestinian factions must ensure a return to calm in Gaza and "maintain peace" during demonstrations, while Israel must stop hostilities and "ensure a ceasefire" during demonstrations by Palestinians.

A top Egyptian official told the AFP news agency that his country had undertaken efforts to end the two days of fighting that saw Israel bombing dozens of houses and farms in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

'Situation remains tense'

Israeli Military spokesman Avichay Adraee, said in a Twitter post the two-day round of fighting in Gaza "is over", confirming the ceasefire. 

Despite the ceasefire announcement, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Israel would follow suit if Palestinian factions in Gaza stop attacks - denying that Israel had changed open-fire policy as demanded by the Islamic Jihad group for the truce.

"Quiet will be answered with quiet," Katz said on Thursday in remarks made to local media.

"The State of Israel will not hesitate to strike at those who try to harm it, from the Gaza Strip or from anywhere else."

Al Jazeera's Fawcett said that while Islamic Jihad said it had secured from Israel an undertaking not to carry on with targeted assassinations and not to have use of live fire at the border protests on Fridays, an Israeli official has been quoted in local media as saying that is not the case - in terms of the protests.

"Israel doesn't usually acknowledge ceasefires with groups such as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad ... However, it does show that the situation remains tense," he added.

The Gaza Strip has been under a joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade for more than a decade, where freedom of movement for the population of two million has been severely curtailed. The flow of goods and services, as well as medical supplies, is also severly hampered due to the crippling siege.

Palestinians have been gathering near the perimetre fence to participate in the Great March of Return, a series of weekly protests that began in March 2018, calling for an end to the 12-year-old land and air siege.

Since the Gaza rallies began, 313 Palestinian protesters have been killed by Israeli fire and thousands more wounded, according to the health ministry. Eight Israelis have been killed over the same period.

Death of Islamic Jihad commander

Following the Israeli attack on Tuesday that killed Islamic Jihad commander Bahaa Abu al-Ata in Gaza, the two sides had been exchanging fire, with Israel's military saying it recorded more than 350 incoming rockets.

Israel said Abu al-Ata was responsible for rocket fire as well as other attacks and was planning more violence, with the military calling him a "ticking bomb".

In Israel, air raid sirens wailed and fireballs exploded as air defence missiles intercepted rockets, sending Israelis rushing to bomb shelters.

In Gaza, residents surveyed the damage and mourned their dead.

United Nations envoy Nickolay Mladenov arrived in Cairo on Wednesday afternoon, airport officials said, following reports he was to hold talks aimed at halting the fighting.

The UN and Egypt have been instrumental in mediating previous ceasefires between Israel and Gaza-based armed groups.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Islamic Jihad must stop its rocket attacks or "absorb more and more blows".

An Islamic Jihad spokesman had said the group was not interested in mediation as it retaliated over the killing of one of its commanders.

The flare-up raised fears of a new all-out conflict between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza, which has seen three major Israeli military operations in the past decade.

Gaza health ministry said the death toll in two days of Israeli air raids had risen to 34 [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu]

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2019-11-14 08:43:00Z
52780433597497