Israel, Gaza militants agree to cease-fire following weekend violence

Israeli and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza reached a cease-fire on Monday, according to multiple reports, following a burst of violence over the weekend that left close to two dozen Palestinians and four Israeli civilians dead.

The New York Times reported that Arab news reports said Egypt and the United Nations helped broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two Palestinian groups that fired hundreds of projectiles over the weekend.

The Israeli government has not yet explicitly confirmed the cease-fire, The Times reported, but its military lifted restrictions on public gatherings in communities near Gaza.{mosads}

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement Monday morning in which he said the country was “prepared to continue” after firing at “terrorist leaders and operatives,” but that the goal remains “ensuring quiet and security for the residents of the south.”

The Times reported that this weekend marked the worst violence between the two sides since 2014.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that it had launched airstrikes into Gaza in response to a Palestinian sniper wounding two Israeli armed forces members.

Militants had fired about 600 rockets toward Israel as of Sunday, with Israel launching 260 airstrikes in response, according to the Israeli Defense Forces.

President Trump weighed in on Sunday, saying in a tweet that he supported Israel “100% in its defense of its citizens,” and calling on “the Gazan people” to “END the violence and work towards peace.”

The Trump administration is expected to release a proposal to achieve peace in the Middle East later this year.