As the deadly conflict between Israel and Palestine entered its seventh day, Israeli officials on Sunday indicated that a ceasefire could be coming after mounting pressure from US President Joe Biden and other American lawmakers following the recent airstrikes on Gaza that have killed over 20 Palestinians and destroyed several buildings, reported The Times of Israel.
Several US administration officials, including Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have called for Israel to scale down the ongoing violence, even as they maintained the country's right to defend itself from rocket attacks fired by Palestine's Hamas group.
Senior Israeli officials told local media, ahead of a security cabinet meeting today, that calls for de-escalation are being heard and the Jewish country will move towards a ceasefire now that a number of military objectives have been accomplished against Hamas, as well as in response to the mounting international pressure.
The officials also informed that the ceasefire would be mediated by Egypt, The Times of Israel reported.
At least 26 Palestinians, including two toddlers, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Sunday morning, said the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The operation appeared to be the single deadliest strike in the ongoing Israeli operation against Gaza terror groups.
According to the Health Ministry, 174 Palestinians, including 47 children, have been killed since the beginning of hostilities between the two countries on Monday. Over 1,200 others were injured.
On the other hand, more than 2,500 rockets have been fired from Gaza towards Israel since Monday, killing 10 people in the Jewish nation, including an Indian national, The Times of Israel reported citing the country's military.
Amid the escalation of tensions, there are concerns of the conflict turning into a full-blown war.
Earlier this month, the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict started when unrest began in East Jerusalem over an Israeli court's decision to evict several Palestinian families from the area.
( With inputs from ANI )
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