A ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and Palestinian fighters in Gaza has held through the night. 

The deal was agreed after the worst fighting seen between the two groups since  Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers fought an 11-day war last year.

Israeli aircraft had pummelled targets in Gaza since Friday while the Iran-backed Palestinian Jihad militant group fired hundreds of rockets at Israel. 

Over the three days of fighting, 43 Palestinians were killed and another 311 were wounded, the country's health ministry revealed. 

Of the dead, 15 were children and four were women. 

Israel claimed some of the dead were killed by misfired rockets.

The Herald: Members of the Palestinian Civil Defence evacuate a wounded man following an explosion in the Jebaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip (Ahmad Hasaballah/AP/PA)Members of the Palestinian Civil Defence evacuate a wounded man following an explosion in the Jebaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip (Ahmad Hasaballah/AP/PA)

On Monday, Israel said it was partially reopening crossings into Gaza for humanitarian needs and would fully open them if calm was maintained.

Security precautions imposed in recent days on residents of southern Israel were also being gradually lifted, the military said.

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Israel launched its operation with a strike on Friday on a leader of the Islamic Jihad, claiming there were “concrete threats” of an anti-tank missile attack against Israelis in response to the arrest last week of another senior Islamic Jihad member in the West Bank.

That arrest came after months of Israeli raids in the West Bank to round up suspects following a spate of Palestinian attacks against Israel.

It killed another Islamic Jihad leader in a strike on Saturday.

US President Joe Biden said he welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza-based militants.

“Over these last 72-hours, the United States has worked with officials from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, and others throughout the region to encourage a swift resolution to the conflict,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

The UN Security Council was to hold an emergency meeting on Monday on the violence. China, which holds the council presidency this month, scheduled the session in response to a request from the United Arab Emirates, which represents Arab nations on the council, as well as China, France, Ireland and Norway.