Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have agreed to a ceasefire following a weekend of fighting.

The stoppage began at 11.30pm local time (9.30pm BST), the Israeli government and Islamic Jihad said in separate statements.

Israel thanked Egypt for its “efforts” in helping to broker the truce.

It added, however: “If the ceasefire is violated, the State of Israel maintains the right to respond strongly.

“We will not allow any disruption to the lives of the citizens of the State of Israel.”

Ziyad al-Nakhala, secretary general of Islamic Jihad, said: “If the occupation does not abide by what was agreed upon, we will consider the agreement null and we will resume the round of fighting without hesitation.”

They also said the truce would involve group leader Bassam al-Saadi’s release. Israeli officials did not immediately comment.

Second senior Islamic Jihad commander killed in Israeli airstrike, militant group says

Footage shows dramatic moment Israeli airstrikes bomb Gaza home

Gaza: Palestinian militants hit back after Israeli airstrike kills senior commander

It has been the most serious flare-up on the Gaza frontier in more than a year.

In an update on Sunday evening, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said the number of Palestinians killed had risen to 44, including 15 children and four women.

More than 350 people had been injured, the ministry added.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Beginning on Friday, Israeli forces pounded Palestinian targets through the weekend.

They described their attacks as pre-emptive strikes – against an anticipated Islamic Jihad attack designed to avenge the arrest of one of the group’s leaders, Bassam al-Saadi, in the occupied West Bank.

In response, Islamic Jihad fired hundreds of rockets at Israel, threatening much of the south of the country.

Residents of cities including Tel Aviv and Ashkelon descended into shelters.

It emerged earlier that a second senior Islamic Jihad commander – Khaled Mansour, the group’s top official for the southern Gaza Strip – had been killed.

A strike in the southern city of Rafah also killed two fellow militants and five other civilians, including a child and three women, the group said.

Related posts:

Afghans wave national flag in defiance of Taliban on Independence Day despite violent reprisals ‘It’s worse than we could imagine’: Afghan judges fear for their lives – as UK urged to protect them Maintaining West’s unity will ‘require a lot of effort’, German official says, as France rages over nuclear submarine deal Putin’s party expected to secure emphatic win as polls close in Russia Archbishop Desmond Tutu to lie in state as memorial services announced China complains to UN about Elon Musk’s space satellites US Navy to recover F-35C from South China Sea after crash landing Ukraine president walks fine line between downplaying war threat and appealing for help PM to call Putin and visit Eastern Europe to ‘accelerate diplomatic efforts’ amid Ukraine-Russia tensions ‘Five-star’ beach camping one of the ‘affordable’ options for fans at World Cup in Qatar Briton in controversial Ukrainian military unit prepared to spend year fighting Russia How Russian shelling has wreaked destruction on Azovstal steelworks over course of war