Israel and Palestinian Armed Groups Agree to Ceasefire After Three Days of Clashes... 44 Dead

The Largest Clash Since the '11-Day War' Last May
Concerns Over Negative Impact on Iran Nuclear Deal Talks if Fighting Continues

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Israel and the Palestinian armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have agreed to a ceasefire through Egyptian mediation. The two sides had engaged in three days of fighting, resulting in hundreds of casualties. There are concerns that if this ceasefire breaks down and the two parties engage in full-scale war, it could negatively impact the restoration talks of the Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA).

According to the Associated Press on the 7th (local time), the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced in a statement that it had agreed to a ceasefire with PIJ, which had engaged in fighting for three days since the 5th. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office expressed gratitude for Egypt's mediation efforts that greatly helped achieve the ceasefire and stated, "If the ceasefire terms are violated and attacks are resumed, Israel will respond strongly."

PIJ also stated in a statement, "Egypt's mediation proposal has arrived, and a ceasefire agreement will be announced at 11:30 p.m. today," adding, "We reserve the right to respond to any provocations by Zionists."

The fighting between the two sides began on the 5th when the Israeli military arrested Bassem al-Saadi, a senior commander of PIJ, in the West Bank area of the Palestinian Authority (PA). After PIJ declared it would retaliate, Israel launched preemptive strikes, bombing key PIJ facilities in the Gaza Strip with fighter jets. PIJ responded with rockets and mortars, resulting in 44 deaths and over 300 injuries on both sides. This casualty scale is reported to be the largest since the so-called "11-day war" between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas in May last year.

Although both sides have agreed to a ceasefire for now, controversy remains over the issue of prisoner releases, including Bassem al-Saadi, which PIJ has presented as a condition for accepting the ceasefire. Israel insists there are no conditions for the ceasefire, raising the risk of renewed fighting.

In particular, PIJ is known to be an armed organization receiving backing from Iran, along with Palestinian armed factions such as Hamas. If full-scale war breaks out between Israel and PIJ, there are concerns it could adversely affect the ongoing Iran nuclear deal restoration talks currently taking place in Vienna, Austria.

The Iran nuclear deal restoration talks, resumed on the 4th, are reported to be proceeding without major issues so far. The day before, Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), stated at a press conference, "The Iranian negotiation team is currently negotiating on nuclear safety agreements," and added, "The progress of the negotiations so far is not bad," expressing a positive stance.