As Ramadan begins Palestinians say truce agreed in first step to lower tensions
ADVERTISEMENTAfter some of the worst cross border violence in recent years Palestinian officials have said an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire has been reached with Israel.
The truce is set to begin within hours as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins.
Over the last three days rockets and missiles from Gaza have killed four civilians in Israel, while Israeli strikes have killed at least 20 Palestinians - more than half of them civilians.
Israeli military said the airstrikes in Gaza were in retaliation for rocket fire in southen Israel. On Sunday night a rocket hit a house in Ashkelon killing a 58 year.old man He was the first such Israeli civilian fatality since the 2014.
Another died in a rocket attack in Ashdod.
Video from the Israeli Defence Force was released showing what they said was an Israeli airstrike on a car that killed one man, identified by residents as a Hamas commander.
The Israeli military said the victim was responsible for transferring funds from Iran to armed factions in Gaza.
Later Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said his group was not seeking a broader conflict and held out the possibility of a ceasefire, although sirens warning of rocket fire continued to sound in Israeli cities into the night.