WASHINGTON, Aug 8, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - US President Joe Biden on Sunday welcomed

a truce between Israel and Islamic Jihad militants aimed at ending days of
deadly conflict in Gaza, urging all parties to implement it fully.

The president said in a statement that Washington had worked with officials
from the Jewish state, the Palestinian Authority and various countries in the
region to "encourage a swift resolution to the conflict" over the previous
three days.

"We also call on all parties to fully implement the ceasefire, and to ensure
fuel and humanitarian supplies are flowing into Gaza as the fighting
subsides," Biden added.

The president also lamented the injury and death of civilians in Gaza, but
did not specify who was responsible. The violence has left at least 44
Palestinians dead, including 15 children.

"The reports of civilian casualties in Gaza are a tragedy, whether by Israeli
strikes against Islamic Jihad positions or the dozens of Islamic Jihad
rockets that reportedly fell inside Gaza," Biden said.

Since Friday, Israel has carried out heavy aerial and artillery bombardment
of Islamic Jihad positions in Gaza, with the militants firing hundreds of
rockets in retaliation.

Buildings in Gaza have been reduced to rubble, while Israelis have been
forced to shelter from a barrage of rockets.

"As I made clear during my recent trip to Israel and the West Bank, Israelis
and Palestinians both deserve to live safely and securely and to enjoy equal
measures of freedom, prosperity, and democracy," added Biden, who traveled to
the region last month.