The cease-fire agreement between the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip and Israel entered into force at 2 a.m. May 21 after 11 days of fighting. At least 232 Palestinians and 12 Israelis were killed, and more than 1,900 Palestinians and 335 Israelis were injured.
The agreement was reached unconditionally and simultaneously through Egyptian mediation and following pressure from the United States. The Israeli government and the Palestinian factions said they would abide by it; Egypt said in a May 20 statement that it would send two security delegations to the Gaza Strip and Tel Aviv in the coming hours to see to the implementation of the agreement.
