Egyptian efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas proved successful Tuesday, as the terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip agreed to hold fire after launching a massive rocket barrage at Israeli communities near the border over the previous 36 hours.
The joint command of the armed Palestinian factions in Gaza issued a statement saying they would abide by the cease-fire "as long as the Zionist enemy does the same."
Israeli officials stated that "quiet will be met with quiet."
The cease-fire came into force at 5 p.m. Tuesday (local time).
Gaza terrorists fired over 460 rockets and mortar shells on Israel's south starting from Monday afternoon and continuing overnight to Tuesday morning, killing one person and wounding 55 in the worst flare-up in the area since 2014.
The Israeli Air Force struck 160 Hamas assets and over a dozen Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza, including Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV headquarters in Gaza City, and the group's intelligence headquarters and internal security building, as well as several weapon arsenals.
The United States condemned Hamas' fire on Israel.
"We condemn in the strongest terms the rocket, missile and mortar attacks that are taking place from Gaza into Israel," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
"We call for the sustained halt of those attacks. We stand with Israel as Israel defends itself against these attacks. It is simply unacceptable to target civilians."
Hamas boasted of victory, with spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua saying the group had "taught the enemy a harsh lesson and made it pay for its crimes."
Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz dismissed Hamas' bravado, saying the IDF had "dealt Hamas and the other terrorist groups in Gaza a harsh and unprecedented blow. We will see if that will suffice or whether further blows are required."
Violence has simmered on the Israel-Gaza border since March 30, when Hamas launched weekly border riots, and followed them a month later with an arson terrorism campaign that has destroyed thousands of acres of forests and farmlands in Israel, inflicting millions of dollars in damage.
Egypt and U.N. Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov have been heavily engaged in mediation efforts to prevent the tensions from escalating into war.
Israel and Hamas have fought three wars over the past decade, in 2008, 2012 and 2014.
The decision to agree to yet another cease-fire with Hamas sparked a heated debate in the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet.
An Israeli official said that during the eight-hour cabinet meeting, the ministers received word from four entities – Egypt, the U.N., Qatar and Norway – relaying Hamas' appeal for a truce.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, Shin Bet Director Nadav Argaman, Mossad Director Yossi Cohen, and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat all supported agreeing to a cease-fire.
An Israeli official who was at the meeting said the ministers agreed only on condition that Israel made it clear that it was reserving the right to take action against Gazan terrorist groups "as things unfold on the ground."
While the ministers agreed to a truce, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz all demanded that Israel take decisive action against Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eventually announced the Israel would accept Egypt's mediation proposal. The cabinet did not vote on the matter.
Lieberman's and Bennett's offices both released statements clarifying that, contrary to media reports, they did not vote in favor of a truce.
Other senior ministers criticized Netanyahu for forgoing a vote.
"The prime minister's conduct is outrageous," one minister said.
"Netanyahu understood he was in a political jam and his office issued a false statement saying Lieberman and Bennett supported the cease-fire.
"Moreover, the decision to agree to the cease-fire was all but made behind the ministers' backs, while the [cabinet] meeting was taking place. In fact, the prime minister imprisoned us in the cabinet to advance this move."
The Prime Minister's Office rejected the allegations, saying all ministers supported the move and any other claim was false.
"All cabinet members expressed their views freely and in a detailed manner. These things are a matter of record. Leadership is not saying one thing in the cabinet and saying the opposite in public," Netanyahu's office said.
