After two days of almost constant rocket fire, life in southern Israel began to return to normal Tuesday morning after a ceasefire with Islamic Jihad in Gaza secured with Egyptian mediation appeared to hold.
Railway traffic to the south has been resumed and roads have been opened to civilian traffic along the Gaza border for the first time in two days.
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Members of the Israeli security forces reopen roads in the south
(Photo: Matan Tzuri)
Schools were to remain closed in Ashkelon, Netivot, Sderot and the surrounding regional councils, however, as a precaution.
Eshkol Regional Council updated its residents that the directive to stay in close proximity to protected areas has been lifted but the ban on gatherings in open areas was still in place. Agricultural work starting three miles from the Gaza border also resumed.
The IDF said more than 100 rockets were fired into Israel during the two-day round of cross-border violence. Israel responded with air and artillery strikes on the group's facilities in Gaza and Syria.
The Iron Dome missile defense system successfully intercepted about 90% of the projectiles, although several civilian targets - including a playground - were hit by rockets.
Islamic Jihad said late Monday that it was ending its attacks on Israel, which began after IDF troops killed at least one of its members laying a bomb at the Gaza border fence on Sunday morning.
"The al-Quds Brigades announces that it has finished its military response to the assassination crimes in Khan Yunis and Damascus," read the statement.
"It promises our people and nation that it will continue its struggle and that it will respond to any continued [aggression] by the occupation against our people and land."
The IDF Home Front Command on Tuesday morning lifted some of the restrictions on civilians, including the directive to remain near to a bomb shelter at all times.
The government announced it has closed off all entry points in and out of Gaza and will allow only humanitarian cases to leave the Strip.