(Eagle News) — The Philippines has welcomed the ceasefire agreement reached by Israel and Hamas.
In a brief statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs also acknowledged the efforts of several countries, including Egypt and the United States, in facilitating the agreement.
The ceasefire was announced on Thursday.
It came after over 200 people were killed in attacks from both sides that lasted for eleven days.
The ceasefire was agreed upon as international pressure to stem the bloodshed that erupted on May 10 mounted.
Both sides claimed victory for the truce, which Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second most-powerful armed group in Gaza, boasted it had ”managed to humiliate” Israel.
Israel, for its part, said its aerial campaign had made ”unprecedented” achievements in Gaza, a territory it has blockaded since 2007, the year of Hamas’s takeover, even as a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the security cabinet had ”unanimously accepted the recommendation of all of the security officials … to accept the Egyptian initiative for a mutual ceasefire without pre-conditions.” With a report from Agence France Presse