Following intense reprisals from the Israeli military, Hamas accepted an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire that according to Israel, includes a halt to the launching of lethally-loaded kites and balloons. The reprisal by Israel was unusually tense because of the death of one of its own by a Hamas sniper on Friday. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum announced the agreement on Saturday, saying that, “with Egyptian and United Nations efforts it has been agreed to return to the era of calm between [Israel] and Palestinian factions.” The death of the soldier was the first time any Israeli troops have been killed along the border since the ground incursion in 2014. According to Palestinian sources, four Hamas members died as Israel bombed targets associated with the Islamist group in retaliation for the killing of its soldier.