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A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 15 November 2019
Islamic Jihad says cease-fire reached to end Gaza fighting

By FARES AKRAM out of the fighting, indicat-
TIA GOLDENBERG ing it would be brief.
Associated Press Palestinian officials report-
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) ed 34 deaths, including
— Gaza’s militant Islamic a 7-year-old boy and six
Jihad group announced a members of a single fam-
cease-fire with Israel early ily. At least 16 of the dead
on Thursday, ending two were militants.
days of heavy fighting that The rocket fire crippled life
left at least 34 Palestinians across southern Israel, as
dead. nonstop air-raid sirens can-
Spokesman Musab al-Berim celed schools and forced
said the Egyptian-brokered people to remain indoors.
deal went into effect at Much of Gaza resembled
5:30 a.m. There was no im- a ghost-town, with almost
mediate confirmation from no vehicles on the roads
Israel which rarely acknowl- except for ambulances
edges deals with Gaza evacuating wounded.
militant groups, but some Shortly after al-Berim’s an-
restrictions were lifted on nouncement, at least two
residents of the south, de- rockets were fired out of
spite the continued fire of Rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019. Gaza, setting off sirens in
several rockets. Associated Press southern Israel. It was not
Al-Berim said the cease- immediately clear who fired
fire was based on a list of a string of rocket attacks sponded with scores of air- set to carry out and was in- the rockets or whether the
demands presented by his and who Israel said was strikes. volved in terror or rocket fir- launches were intentional
group late Wednesday, in- believed to be planning a Israeli Foreign Minister Israel ing against Israel was elimi- or misfires caused by elec-
cluding a halt to Israeli tar- cross-border infiltration. Katz said the policy of tar- nated,” he told Israeli Army tronic timers. But the Islamic
geted killings of the group’s The rare targeted killing by geted killings had “proved Radio. “And we intend to Jihad said it was commit-
leaders. The fighting broke Israel sparked the heaviest itself” to be effective and continue with this.” ted to ending the fighting,
out early Tuesday after Isra- fighting with Gaza militants that it would continue, de- Gaza’s ruling Hamas mili- saying the fire was likely be-
el killed a senior command- since May. Islamic Jihad spite word of the cease-fire. tant group, which is much cause word hadn’t spread
er of the militant group fired some 400 rockets to- “Everyone who was a top larger and more powerful to all members about the
who was said to be behind ward Israel, while Israel re- military official, who was than Islamic Jihad, stayed halt to violence.q

Major roads reopened in Lebanon after 2-day closure

By BASSEM MROUE national interests that need
Associated Press cooperation from all sides
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese to achieve pursued goals,”
troops reopened major Aoun said.
roads around Lebanon Caretaker Foreign Minister
Thursday after a two-day Gebran Bassil tweeted that
closure triggered by a TV the priority is to form a “sal-
interview with President vation government” and
Michel Aoun in which he prevent anyone from tak-
called on protesters to go ing the country into a con-
home. frontation. Bassil is Aoun’s
The roads linking Beirut with son-in-law and close aide.
the country’s south and The opening of the roads
north were opened shortly came a day after protest-
before noon Thursday, as ers started building a wall
well as others around the inside a tunnel on the high-
country. way linking Beirut with north
Protesters have been hold- Lebanon leading to an out-
ing demonstrations since cry by the public who saw
Oct. 17 demanding an end it as a reminder of the 1975-
to widespread corruption 90 civil war. In the town of
and mismanagement by Jal al-Dib, just north of Bei-
the political class that has People queue on their cars as they try to cross a highway blocked by anti-government protest- rut, troops pushed away
ers by burning tires, during ongoing protests against the government, in Khaldeh, south of Beirut,
ruled the country for three Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019. protesters from the high-
decades. Associated Press way and removed barriers
Aoun said Thursday that that had been blocking the
the demands of protesters comments released by his on Oct. 29, meeting a key non’s worst economic and road since Tuesday night.
are being followed adding office that a new Cabinet demand of the protesters. financial crisis in decades In the town of Choueifat
that “they will be among “will be formed in the com- Since then there have been while other politicians, in- south of Beirut, thousands
the top priorities of the gov- ing days” after removing disagreements over the cluding Aoun, want it to be of people attended the
ernment that we are work- obstacles that have been new Cabinet as Hariri insists a mixture of technocrats funeral of a 38-year-old fa-
ing on forming in the near delaying the formation. it should be made up of and politicians. ther who was shot dead by
future.” Prime Minister Saad Hariri technocrats who will con- “Dealing with the develop- a soldier at a protest Tues-
Aoun expressed hopes in resigned his government centrate on solving Leba- ments should be based on day night.q