Ceasefire between Israel and militants in Gaza appears to hold

Palestinians celebrate the announcement of a ceasefire (Fatima Shbair/AP)

A fragile ceasefire between Israeli forces and militants in the Gaza Strip appeared to be holding after a five-day clash that killed 33 Palestinians and two people in Israel.

The latest round of Gaza fighting was sparked on Tuesday when Israeli jets killed three top commanders from the Islamic Jihad militant group in response to earlier rocket launches from Gaza.