Jerusalem, May 14 (IANS): Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement, expressing appreciation for Egypt's efforts to mediate a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

"National Security Council (NSC) Director Tzachi Hanegbi, on instruction from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, thanked Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and expressed the appreciation of the State of Israel for Egypt's intensive efforts to secure a ceasefire," said the statement on Saturday evening.

The NSC director made it clear that Israel's acceptance of the Egyptian initiative means that "quiet will be met with quiet", and that if Israel is attacked or threatened, it will continue to do everything it needs to defend itself, the statement added as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

About two hours earlier, the PIJ said it had reached an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire agreement to end the five-day bloody round of confrontations.