JERUSALEM — Egyptian mediators rushed to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday and Hamas’ supreme leader emerged from his hideout as an unofficial cease-fire between Israel and the Islamic militant group appeared to take hold.
The Egyptian delegation sought to cement the truce that ended two days of heavy fighting between the bitter enemies. They face a key test on Saturday, when Hamas is planning a mass demonstration to mark the one-year anniversary of weekly protests along the Israeli border.
In a sign that both sides had stepped back from a major conflagration, Hamas’ supreme leader Ismail Haniyeh made his first public appearance since violence with Israel erupted earlier this week. During times of fighting, Hamas leaders typically go underground, fearing assassination by Israel.
Standing before the rubble of his Gaza City office, which was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on Monday, he declared that “the Israeli occupation got the message.”
Haniyeh urged Palestinians to come out in force to the Saturday demonstration. The Israeli military bolstered its forces along the Gaza frontier in advance.
Hamas has staged the protests in hopes of pressuring Israel and Egypt to ease a crippling blockade. The protests, however, have yielded few gains, and nearly 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire.
Israel accuses Hamas of using the demonstrations as cover for attacks, and says it is defending its border against crowds that have hurled flaming tires, grenades and other explosives at troops. But the military has come under heavy international criticism for using disproportionate force against large numbers of unarmed protesters.
Palestinian media reported that the Egyptian mediators would offer Hamas economic incentives in exchange for its commitment to end the protests.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank, a teenage Palestinian medic was shot dead during clashes between Israeli troops and protesters. The Israeli army said it had responded to Palestinians who hurled blocks and firebombs at Israeli forces. The army released a video showing what it said was a medic who removed his uniform and joined a group of protesters throwing objects at troops. It was not clear if the video showed the same medic who was shot.
Israel and Hamas have fought three wars and dozens of skirmishes since the Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza in 2007. The latest round was triggered by a Gaza rocket fired early Monday that slammed into a house in central Israel and wounded seven people.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rushed back to Israel from a trip to Washington to deal with the crisis. Israel struck dozens of targets in Gaza, including Haniyeh’s office. Gaza’s Health Ministry said seven Palestinians were wounded in the airstrikes.
