UPDATE – Gaza Death Toll Rises To 43 Amid Reports Of Truce

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip rose to 43, the Health Ministry said Sunday.

A ministry statement said 15 children and four women were among the victims, while 311 people were injured in the attacks.

The Health Ministry had earlier put the death toll at 41.

The fatalities come amid reports that Egyptian mediators managed to broker a truce in Gaza that would take effect at 2330 (2030 GMT).

There was no confirmation of the truce yet from Israel or the Islamic Jihad group of the reports.

Earlier Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the military offensive in Gaza "achieved its goals."

Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Friday citing what the army said an "imminent threat of attacks" by Islamic Jihad group.

The attacks came amid rising tensions across Palestinian territories following the detention of Bassam al-Saadi, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad, in an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin early this week.

Last year, Egypt managed to broker a ceasefire to end 11 days of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, in which more than 200 Palestinians were killed and thousands injured.

Thirteen Israelis were also killed by Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza during the course of the conflict.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar -