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Israel has confirmed it has agreed to a six-month truce with Palestinian armed groups including Hamas, the country’s public radio service has reported.
Ehud Olmert, Israel’s prime minister and Ehud Barak, defence minister, approved the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire a day after Egyptian and Palestinian officials announced a deal.
The Palestinian territory’s been the scene of deadly clashes with the Israeli army since a Hamas takeover last year.
Egypt, which has worked for months to broker the deal, is urging both sides to do everything they can to make the peace last.
Al Jazeera’s Ayman Mohyeldin reports from Gaza on the Egyptian-brokered peace deal. AlJazeeraEnglish
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Israel and Hamas agree on Gaza truce
Palestinians and Israelis are making another attempt to the end years of fighting which has devastated so many lives.
Hamas announces truce with Israel
Cease-fire deal first announced by Egypt, quickly confirmed by Hamas, not officially confirmed by Israel
June 18 – After months of failed negotiation resulting in the deaths of 400 Palestinians and 7 Israelis, Hamas announced on Tuesday it has reached a cease-fire with Israel.
Egypt proposed the accord with the intention of ending Israel’s year-long economic blockade of Gaza and bringing home Shalit, a captive Israeli soldier. The deal was first announced in Cairo by Egypt’s state-run news agency and quickly confirmed by Hamas. It is effective as of Thursday, though a spokesman made it very clear that Hamas has “the right to respond to any Israeli occupation attack against the Palestinians in order to protect [themselves] and the Palestinians until the zero point of this declaration.”
Though Israel has not officially confirmed the deal, a spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister cautiously promised a “new situation” if the rocket fire ends, adding that “words are important, [but] deeds much more so.”
The same day the truce was announced, Israeli aircraft attacked targets in southern Gaza, killing a total of 6 Palestinians. The Israeli military said 7 rockets were fired into Israel.
Dandelion Salad 