The United States on Saturday night welcomed the agreement that was reached for a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
“We express our condolences to the families of civilians who were killed and those who were injured in the violence,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement.
“The United States commends Egypt’s crucial role in mediating the ceasefire agreement, which will prevent the further loss of civilian lives. We also recognize Qatar’s robust efforts to de-escalate the situation and end the hostilities, as well as the international community’s support for the ceasefire. Our team worked tirelessly in cooperation with our partners to support these efforts,” he added.
The United States reaffirms our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, as reflected in our ongoing support for Iron Dome and other Israeli missile defense systems. We will remain engaged with our partners to promote calm in the weeks and months ahead,” said Miller.
“We also will continue our efforts to improve quality of life for Palestinians and we urge the swift delivery of fuel and other critical supplies into Gaza. The United States believes that Israelis and Palestinians both deserve to live safely and securely and to enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity, and democracy,” he concluded.
His statement came after Al Jazeera reported that Egypt had offered a new proposal for a ceasefire, and Islamic Jihad and Israel had agreed in principle to the draft.
The ceasefire was to have taken effect at 10:00 p.m. Saturday night, though a final barrage of rockets was fired towards Israel about an hour after that time, and the IDF retaliated by hitting three concealed rocket launchers and a military post used as training facilities of the Islamic Jihad.
National Security Council chief Tzachi Hanegbi on Saturday night expressed his appreciation for Egypt's efforts to broker a ceasefire.
"As instructed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, NSC Director Tzachi Hanegbi thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and expressed the State of Israel's appreciation for Egypt's intensive efforts to bring about a ceasefire," a statement from the Prime Minister's Office read.
"The NSC Director made it clear that Israel's acceptance of the Egyptian initiative means that 'quiet will be met with quiet,' and that if Israel is attacked or threatened, it will continue to do everything that it needs to in order to defend itself."