U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged to help organize efforts to rebuild Gaza and said creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel is the "only answer" to the conflict.

Biden also said he had told the Israelis to stop "intercommunal fighting" in the flashpoint city of Jerusalem.

The ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza was holding Saturday, as humanitarian aid began to enter the Israeli-blockaded enclave ravaged by 11 days of bloodshed.

Cafes reopened, fishermen set out to sea and shopkeepers dusted off shelves Saturday as Gazans slowly resumed their daily lives after a deadly 11-day conflict between Hamas and Israel.

Cyprus said Friday it is in a "state of emergency" because of an inflow of Syrian migrants that has flooded its reception centers, appealing for help from the European Union.

The war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas has killed hundreds, displaced thousands from their homes and ravaged key infrastructure.

Palestinians rallied by the thousands Friday after a cease-fire took effect in the latest Gaza war, with many viewing it as costly but clear victory for the Islamic militant group Hamas. Israel vowed to respond with a "new level of force" to any further hostilities.

The 11-day war left more than 200 dead — the vast majority Palestinians — and brought widespread devastation to the already impoverished Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. But the rocket barrages that brought life to a standstill in much of Israel were seen by many Palestinians as a bold response to perceived Israeli abuses in Jerusalem, the emotional heart of the conflict.

The diplomatic flurry was over and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu was on the phone telling U.S. President Joe Biden that it appeared the furious fighting between Israel and Hamas was about to end.

But Biden remained wary even after the afternoon phone call with the prime minister. Things still could go crosswise with hours to go before the cease-fire took effect, Biden's team reasoned.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Friday hailed Israel's 11-day bombardment of Palestinian armed groups in Gaza as an "exceptional success", after a ceasefire to end the deadly conflict took effect. 

Fresh clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police broke out at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound on Friday, two weeks after unrest at the sensitive religious site triggered deadly hostilities in Gaza.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said "riots broke out" at the al-Aqsa esplanade which is Islam's third holiest site and also revered by Jews, who call it the Temple Mount.

World leaders and top diplomats welcomed an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that was in place Friday, while urging a long-term political solution to the Middle East conflict.