How long the latest ceasefire will hold remains unclear.

This week's fighting was the worst in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since an August flare-up that killed nearly 50 Palestinians.

The worst cross-border escalation in months has seen Egypt lead truce efforts, with hopes raised that a ceasefire may be imminent after talks failed earlier this week.

Air strikes and missiles from Israel have killed 25 Palestinians, said Gaza officials – among them fighters and civilians, including several children.

This weeks' Gaza violence is the worst since a three-day escalation in August killed 49 Palestinians, with no Israeli fatalities.

The Israeli army said it had targeted three leaders of Islamic Jihad, which it considers a terrorist organisation.

Gaza, which has been run by the Islamist Hamas group since 2007, is home to 2.3 million people, of which 45% are unemployed and 80% depend on international aid, reports say.

The strikes came in response to rocket attacks from Lebanon towards northern Israeli areas, which Israeli officials blamed on Hamas.

Tensions have soared between Israel and Palestinians during what is both the Jewish Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, prompting condemnations and calls for restraint from abroad.

The confrontations, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and on the eve of the Jewish Passover holiday, triggered a cross-border exchange of fire in Gaza and stoked fears of further violence.

The incident came amid fears that tensions built up during a year of escalating violence could be unleashed at the Al Aqsa mosque, where clashes in 2021 set off a 10-day war with Gaza.

The Palestinian militant faction Islamic Jihad stopped short of directly claiming responsibility for the rocket attack on Thursday but said it had the right to defend against Israeli aggression.