Israel-Gaza: After five days of warfare, the cease-fire had a rocky beginning.

There is optimism that a truce will hold and bring an end to the five days of warfare in Gaza between Israel and militants of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

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After the ceasefire went into effect on Saturday evening, things got off to a rocky start when both sides continued to fire for two hours.

Since Tuesday, at least 33 Palestinians have died in Gaza, where Israel claims to have hit PIJ targets.

One Israeli and one Palestinian worker in Israel were murdered by Palestinian rocket firing into Israel.

Egypt was in charge of the mediation efforts and urged both parties to abide by the cease-fire agreement.

Washington expressed its appreciation for the cease-fire declaration and noted that US officials had collaborated with regional allies to reach the agreement.

Warning sirens went off in southern Israel, near to Gaza, and the Tel Aviv suburbs just before the truce was scheduled to start at 22:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on Saturday. This was caused by Palestinian rocket barrages.

After it allegedly began, terrorists allegedly launched further rockets into southern Israeli villages, and the Israeli military allegedly conducted airstrikes on two PIJ rocket launchers in Gaza.

At about 23:00, more rocket fire prompted another wave of airstrikes.

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Although there was fighting, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that a truce had been reached and hailed Egypt for its "intensive efforts" to do so.

Additionally, it stated that Israel has made it plain that, in exchange for its acceptance, "quiet will be met with quiet, and that if Israel is attacked or threatened, it will continue to do everything that is necessary to defend itself."

According to a spokeswoman for PIJ, who also verified the cease-fire to Reuters, "We will abide by it as long as the occupation [Israel] abides by it."

Palestinian terrorists and Israel have agreed to cease attacking civilians and other people, according to a text from Egyptian intelligence obtained.

According to Yolande Knell of the BBC in Jerusalem, this particular language seems to encompass both the current intensive rocket fire from Gaza and Israel's contentious practise of murdering Hamas leaders on purpose.

On Tuesday before dawn, Israel launched its military attack in Gaza, murdering three PIJ officials in their houses as well as at least 10 civilians, including the men's neighbours and family members.

Then, PIJ militants launched a barrage of rockets into southern and central Israel, claiming to be carrying out an act of retribution for the deceased.

According to the Israeli military, at least 1,234 rockets and mortar rounds have been fired from Gaza overall, 976 of which have entered Israeli territory. The majority have been blocked or have landed in wide open spaces, but some have impacted homes and other structures.

On Thursday, a worker from Gaza was murdered when he was struck by rocket shrapnel at a construction site in the southern Sdot Negev region, while a lady was killed when a missile struck an apartment building in the city centre of Rehovot.

According to the military, 221 missiles have missed their targets inside Gaza, killing four people there, including three children. Islamic Jihad disputes the charge.

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