Three-day Gaza ceasefire begins (picture shows bomb before it hits Gaza house)
The three-day Gaza ceasefire has begun after heavy Israel-Hamas fighting early today.
The ceasefire, announced hours earlier by America and the United Nations, took effect at 8am local time (6am Irish time).
But US secretary of state John Kerry warned there were “no guarantees” that the lull would bring an end to the Gaza war, now in its fourth week.
Israel and Hamas both said they would respect the ceasefire, but respond to attacks.
At least four short humanitarian ceasefires have been announced since the conflict began, but each has been broken within a few hours by renewed fighting.
Hours before the ceasefire was to take effect, 17 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes. Israel’s military said five soldiers were killed along the Gaza border the previous evening.
