Calm returned to Gaza Sunday as a fragile ceasefire ending five days of fighting held, leaving Palestinians and Israelis to count the cost of cross-border fire which has killed dozens.
In the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, the fighting which broke out Tuesday with Israeli strikes on the Islamic Jihad militant group ceased late Saturday, following days of truce talks led by Egypt.
As the skies fell silent, residents were left to mourn the 33 people killed in Gaza, as well as the two in Israel, a Palestinian labourer from the territory and an elderly Israeli.
After the ceasefire took effect in Gaza, ambulances and fire trucks drove in convoy while Palestinians gathered in the streets to celebrate.
More than 50 homes were destroyed and around 950 people displaced in Gaza, said the United Nations citing local officials.
Medics said 190 people were wounded in Gaza and 30 in Israel, seven with injuries resulting from Palestinian rocket fire and the rest while heading to shelters.
Movement restrictions imposed on Israelis living in areas near Gaza were lifted on Sunday.
UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland welcomed the truce and said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and injuries”.
Sunday also saw Israel re-open its two crossings with Gaza, the closure of which had affected Palestinians with work permits or permission to access essential medical treatment not available in the impoverished territory.
The move also paved the way for supplies of medicine, food and fuel to reach Gaza.
While Israel and Islamic Jihad committed to the ceasefire, both warned they would not hesitate to resume fire if the other side violated the agreement.
But as calm returned to Gaza, clashes persisted in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli forces raided central Nablus early Sunday, sparking clashes with Palestinian residents, according to an AFP photographer.
An army statement said troops had arrested two people suspected of shooting at soldiers in the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.
The Israeli strikes on Gaza killed at least six top figures from Islamic Jihad, which is considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.
Roger Barake, with AFP
