Israel officially confirmed tonight (Sunday) that the ceasefire with the Islamic Jihad will come into effect at 11:30 p.m.
"The State of Israel thanks Egypt for its efforts. If the cease-fire is violated, Israel reserves the right to respond with force. We will not allow any party to violate the daily routine of the country's residents," said a statement issued by the head of the National Information Service, Lior Hayit.
According to what is known from initial reports regarding the agreement, it does not include any significant concessions on the part of Israel, beyond an amorphous Egyptian commitment to work for the release of two prisoners from the Islamic Jihad, one of whom is Bassam al-Saadi, whose arrest last week in Jenin created the tensions that led Eventually to Operation Dawn.
Past experience from previous operations shows that it is possible that in the coming hours "trickles of gunfire" will continue from the direction of the Gaza Strip, especially in the short ranges of the Gaza Strip.
However, it is estimated that Israel will not react forcefully to these violations, unless they last more than a few hours, and allow the jihadists what is known as a "braking distance" until the shooting stops completely.
Just before the ceasefire: the IDF responded to the firing to the south by attacking a Jihad launcher // Photo: IDF spokesperson
After 23:00, shortly after the announcement of the ceasefire, several significant rocket barrages were launched into the area surrounding Gaza and Be'er Sheva.
Eight minutes after the ceasefire, alarms were heard in Sderot and in the Gaza Strip.
In Jerusalem, a list of achievements in the operation is listed: renewal and strengthening of deterrence against the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip;
landing a fatal blow on the Islamic Jihad, most of its military elite was eliminated;
A minimal amount of Israeli citizens affected;
a relative minority of Palestinian deaths, especially of uninvolved civilians;
keeping Hamas out of the campaign and deepening tensions between it and Jihad;
and international backing for IDF activities in the Gaza Strip.
For Prime Minister Lapid, this is a successful baptism of fire, which ends with a sense of Israeli achievement in contrast to the sense of failure that characterized previous operations.
However, it must be remembered that this time Israel only faced the Islamic Jihad - a small organization with much more limited capabilities than those of Hamas.
Another round that will also include the involvement of Hamas is expected to look very different.
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