Tenuous calm in Gaza as Islamic Jihad says truce reached with Israel

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israel and the militant Islamic Jihad group in Gaza appeared to have reached a cease-fire on Thursday to end two days of heavy fighting that killed at least 34 Palestinians and paralyzed parts of Israel.

Islamic Jihad group spokesman Musab al-Berim said the Egyptian-brokered deal went into effect at 5:30 am. There was no immediate confirmation from Israel, which rarely acknowledges deals with Gaza militant groups, but some restrictions were lifted on residents of the south, despite the continued firing of several rockets.

Berim said the cease-fire was based on a list of demands presented by his group late on Wednesday, including a halt to Israeli targeted killings of the group's leaders. The fighting broke out early on Tuesday after Israel killed a senior commander of the militant group who was said to be behind a string of the rocket attacks.