Hamas announces truce deal
August 26, 2014
The Reuters news agency on Tuesday quoted Hamas spokesman Sami Abui Zuhri, who said the agreement, which came in negotiations mediated by Egypt, would be officially announced shortly. However, he said it wasn't clear when the truce was meant to come into force.
"An agreement has been reached between the two sides and we are awaiting the announcement from Cairo to determine the zero hour for implementation," he said.
A unnamed senior Palestinian official told AFP that a "permanent" truce for Gaza had been reached, and that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would give further details in a speech from his headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah later in the day.
So far, there has been no comment from the Israeli side.
If confirmed, the ceasefire could end the Israeli offensive aimed at stopping militants in Gaza from firing rockets into the Jewish state.
The offensive has killed more than 2,000 Palestinians over the past seven weeks, the majority of whom were civilians. According to the United Nations, more than 17,000 residences were destroyed in Gaza, leaving 100,000 Palestinians homeless.
On the Israeli side, 68 people have been killed, all but four of whom were soldiers.
pfd/jr (AFP, AP, Reuters)