{O/C} In the Gaza Strip, a fragile truce between Israeli and Palestinian militants has largely held out.
This as speculation burgeons that the latest spate of violence may have simmered down.
{Take SOT}
The thunderclap that could have effortlessly crushed the latest ceasefire deal never burst.
That made for a semblance of peace in the Israeli-occupied West Bank following three tumultuous days of agonising shelling.
It was Israeli rockets that lit the latest touchpaper on Friday, with the Iran-backed Palestinian Jihad militant group punching Israel with hundreds of rockets in retaliation.
Around 580 rockets are said to have roared into Israel, many of which had been intercepted before wrecking the country.
Israel struck the the occupied West Bank in the name of "concrete threats" of an anti-tank missile attack against Israelis.
That, on the heels of Israeli raids to chase down suspects embroiled in Palestinian air strikes in Israel.
The brief outbreak of violence brought life on both sides to a juddering standstill.
43 Palestinians, including 15 children and four women, were killed, as well as 311 injuries.
Two Islamic Jihad leaders were killed in all.
Still, Israeli troops today obliterated the homes of two Palestinians who allegedly spearheaded a bloody operation against Israelis in the city of El'ad in May.
Both sides now have their own bragging rights.
While an Islamic Jihad leader says the group remains invincible, Israel claims to have paralysed Islamic Jihad's capabilities in a "counterterrorism operation".
The United Nations Security Council was to preside over an emergency meeting today in light of the violence at the behest of several members, including China, France and the United Arab Emirates.
President Joe Biden also welcomed the truce, crediting his country with a swift resolution to defuse heightened tensions.
Hamas has long sought to snuff out the conflict for fear of reprisals.
This, after skirmishes and major battles cost the impoverished Gaza Strip countless lives.
Tacit agreements have been reached for work permits and easing the border blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt when Hamas invaded the territory 15 years ago.
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