The outage began at 11:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. BST), the Israeli government and Islamic Jihad said in separate statements. Israel thanked Egypt for its “efforts” to help broker the truce. He added, however: “If the ceasefire is violated, the State of Israel reserves the right to respond forcefully. “We will not allow any disruption in the lives of the citizens of the State of Israel.” Ziyad al-Nakhala, secretary general of Islamic Jihad, said: “If the occupation does not live up to what was agreed, we will consider the agreement invalid and continue the round of fighting without hesitation.” Islamic Jihad also said the truce would include the release of one of its leaders, Bassam al-Saadi. Israeli officials did not immediately comment. It was the most serious flare-up on the Gaza border in more than a year. In an update on Sunday evening, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said the number of Palestinians killed had risen to 44, including 15 children and four women. More than 350 people were injured, the ministry added. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:27 ‘Faulty rocket’ fired from Gaza, Israel claims Starting on Friday, Israeli forces pounded Palestinian targets over the weekend. They described their attacks as pre-emptive strikes – against an expected Islamic Jihad offensive aimed at avenging the capture of Mr al-Saadi in the occupied West Bank. In response, Islamic Jihad fired hundreds of rockets at Israel, threatening much of the country’s south. Residents of cities such as Tel Aviv and Ashkelon descended into shelters. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:49 Several rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel on Sunday It emerged earlier that a second senior Islamic Jihad commander – Khaled Mansour, the group’s top official for the southern Gaza Strip – had been killed. A strike in the southern town of Rafah also killed two of his colleagues and five other civilians, including a child and three women, the group said. On Sunday, Islamic Jihad extended its range to fire toward Jerusalem in what it described as retaliation for the killing of Khaled Mansour. Israel said the rockets were shot down just west of the city by the Iron Dome interceptor.
