A cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian forces came into effect late Sunday, signaling a temporary halt to three days of unrest that left at least 44 people dead, with hundreds more wounded. The truce ends the fiercest fighting seen in Gaza since the 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas last May. The Associated Press reported that rocket fire and airstrikes from the Israeli side continued right up until the 11:30 p.m. start of the cease-fire. Israel has warned that it “maintains the right to respond strongly” should the compact, negotiated by Egyptian officials, be violated. Among the 44 known dead are 15 children, according to the Palestinian health ministry, which said 311 people had been injured. Israel has said it began its operation on Friday in response to threats from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second-largest militia behind Hamas. “Suddenly, without warning, the house next to us was bombed,” a neighbor to one of Israel’s targets told the AP, “and everything became black and dusty with smoke in the blink of an eye.”
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