Gaza Strip remains calm as ceasefire with Israel enters 3rd day

The Gaza Strip remained calm Tuesday as the ceasefire between the Palestinians and Israel entered its third day.

The calmness, however, came amid Palestinian demands for stopping Israeli actions in the West Bank and extending the fragile truce.

With the calmness prevails in the strip, Palestinian security sources said on Tuesday Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza Strip would be open for two days to allow entry of thousand of people stuck on both sides of the Palestinian-Egyptian terminal.

The crossing has been sealed off before travelers except for occasional openings since June 25 when militant groups captured an Israeli soldier in a cross-border raid and dragged him into Gaza, sparking large-scale Israeli offensive.

On Sunday, following months of Israeli military operations, Israel and the Palestinians agreed on a ceasefire under it Israel withdrew forces from Gaza in exchange for stopping home-made rocket attacks against Israel.

Though the ceasefire has gone into effect, more than one Palestinian faction has threatened Gaza ceasefire would collapse if it was not extended to the West Bank.

Israeli troops arrested at least 10 Palestinians in West Bank cities on Tuesday morning, claiming they were wanted by the state of Israel.

Commenting on the situation, Hamas spokesman in Gaza Ismail Radwan said that "any Israeli breach of the partial ceasefire could endanger it."

But Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz has earlier said there was no ceasefire in the West Bank.

Source: Xinhua