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Gaza truce holds as Israel admits Jewish visitors to flashpoint site

Palestinians sit on chair in front of a building which was damaged in Israeli air strikes
Palestinians sit on chair amid the rubble of a building which was damaged in Israeli air strikes during the Israel-Hamas fighting in Gaza May 23, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

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JERUSALEM: The Israel-Hamas ceasefire held into a third day on Sunday (May 23) as Israeli police admitted Jewish visitors to a contested Jerusalem holy site where earlier confrontations with Palestinian protesters helped to ignite the cross-border Gaza fighting.

Police reported no unusual incidents at the al-Aqsa mosque compound - one of Islam's holiest sites - as Israeli social media accounts showed a few dozen Jews in religious garb strolling around the site under guard.

A police spokesman described it as a regular scheduled visit after a break that began on May 3 for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

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The site is also revered by Jews and is situated in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in a 1967 war. Israel deems all of Jerusalem its capital, a status not recognised abroad.

Police raids in and around al-Aqsa during Ramadan, as well as planned evictions of Palestinians from homes claimed by Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem, drew long-range rocket attacks by Islamist Hamas on May 10.

That led to the fiercest fighting between Israel and Hamas since a 2014 Gaza war, which concluded with a truce before dawn on Friday, brokered by Egypt with support from the United States.

A Palestinian girl carries a boy amid the rubble of their houses destroyed by Israeli air strikes
A Palestinian girl carries a boy amid the rubble of their houses which were destroyed by Israeli air strikes during the Israel-Hamas fighting in Gaza May 23, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

A Palestinian boy stands inside a house which was damaged by Israeli air strikes
A Palestinian boy stands inside a house which was damaged by Israeli air strikes during the Israel-Hamas fighting in Gaza May 23, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Neither side reported violations on Sunday morning.

Egyptian mediators have been shuttling across the Gaza border and met Hamas' West Bank-based rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in an effort to sustain the ceasefire.

Palestinians sit in tents amid the rubble of their houses which were destroyed by Israeli air strik
A Palestinian man sits in a makeshift tent amid the rubble of their houses which were destroyed by Israeli air strikes during the Israel-Hamas fighting in Gaza May 23, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

A Palestinian woman cooks as another sits amid the rubble of their houses destroyed by Israeli air
A Palestinian woman cooks as another sits amid the rubble of their houses which were destroyed by Israeli air strikes during the Israel-Hamas fighting in Gaza May 23, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Palestinian officials put reconstruction costs at tens of millions of dollars in destitute Gaza, where medical officials said that 248 people were killed during the 11 days of fighting.

Medics said rocket fire and a guided missile attack killed 13 people in Israel.

Economists said Israel's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic could be curbed by the hostilities.

Source: Reuters/jt