The recent increase in violence threatens efforts to resume Middle East peace talks.

A ceasefire was on Monday March 12, 2012 reached between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip after four days of deadly clashes, the BBC reported. The cease fire was mediated by Egyptian authorities after about 25 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes and 35 Israelis injured in Palestinian rocket attacks.

Israeli Home Front Defence Minister, Matan Vilnai, said the violence appeared to be over while officials of Hamas that runs Gaza said Israel had agreed to stop targeting leaders of militant groups in Gaza if rocket attacks on its southern cities ceased. The cross-border violence was triggered by an Israeli air strike on Friday March 9, 2012 that killed Zuhair al-Qaisi, head of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), who Israel said had been planning an attack. Militants in Gaza quickly responded by unleashing a barrage of rockets towards southern Israel, triggering further air strikes.

Under the agreement that came into force at 1:00 am (2300 GMT on Monday), both Israel and militants from Islamic Jihad, who have been responsible for the lion's share of the rockets lobbed at southern Israel, agreed to hold their fire, an Egyptian intelligence official told AFP. Israeli officials and Islamic Jihad both confirmed that a deal was in place, although they were quick to warn that the agreement would be short-lived if the other side stepped out of line.

News of the agreement emerged early yesterday after Egypt brokered what its intelligence official said was a comprehensive and mutual truce. He explained that an agreement to end current operations between the two sides, including a halt to assassinations, had entered into force. But Matan Vilnai denied that there was any agreement to put a halt to the military's campaign of assassinations, adding that anyone involved in terrorism against Israel was a target.

Palestinian medics put the total death toll late on Monday at 25, with more than 80 injured, Reuters said. Those killed included 19 militants and six civilians, among them two minors. Israel said the major reason for the relatively low number of injuries among its population was the country's new Iron Dome missile system, which shot down about 50 rockets launched from Gaza.