Violence in Gaza prevails

Israel launched three airstrikes in southern and eastern Gaza on Thursday



GAZA – Calm reigned early Friday in the Gaza Strip after a night of tit-for-tat attacks between Israel and Palestinians.Israeli warplanes launched three airstrikes in southern and eastern Gaza Strip late Thursday, which the Israeli army said were in response to the firing of a salvo of rockets into southern Israel.The Israeli military has sealed all border crossings with the embattled coastal strip – banning the entry of foodstuffs and other vital commodities – and has prohibited thousands of Palestinian detainees from receiving visitors.Khaled al-Batch, a leader of a group said earlier that Egypt had helped broker a deal to resume a 2012 ceasefire agreement.In late 2012, an Egypt-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian ended eight days of cross-border fighting in which scores of Gazans were killed.