Israel has withdrawn its ground forces for a 72-hour cease-fire. Israel Defense Forces said on Twitter : "Mission accomplished," . "We have dismantled the underground terror network built by Hamas to infiltrate and attack Israel." The military explained that 32 tunnels were destroyed in the four-week conflict. Over 1,800 Palestinians were killed in Gaza during the conflict, from statistics of the Palestinian Health Ministry. The United Nations has estimated that about 70% were civilians. 64 Israeli soldiers and three civilians in Israel were killed. Israel is now starting the Egyptian-proposed truce, which began Tuesday at 8 a.m. (1 a.m. ET) (Aug.5, 2014). The Gaza truce allows the 1.8 million residents to get supplies and check on abandoned homes.
During this conflict over 200,000 people were displaced in Palestine. Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan, "We hope they can take it and be committed to a cease-fire," he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "This operation will end only when quiet and security are restored to the citizens of Israel for a lengthy period,". The United States urged both sides to honor the cease-fire agreement. An Israeli missile hit close to another U.N. shelter on the weekend which was condemned by the U.S. State Department. The U.S. and French governments have also both condemned Hamas for its role in the conflict. (Image source: shahidblog)
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