A fragile calm has taken hold in the besieged Gaza Strip as a deal between Hamas and Israel appears to be holding.
The deal, brokered by Egyptian and United Nations officials, was designed to restore calm and end the Israeli onslaught on Hamas positions and other violence that resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians and one Israeli soldier on Friday.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum announced the deal early on Saturday morning, saying that it had been active from midnight local time on Friday.
"We reached [an agreement] to return to the previous state of calm between the [Israeli] occupation and the Palestinian factions," Barhoum said.
Israel confirmed the agreement later on Saturday, with the army saying in a separate statement that communities near Gaza could return to normal activity, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz.
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