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A Palestinian man walks in front of the remains
of a tower building housing offices, which witnesses said was destroyed by an
Israeli air strike, in Gaza City August 26, 2014.(Reuters / Mohammed Salem)
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A
long-term truce in Gaza has been agreed with Israel ending seven weeks of
fighting, according to Hamas officials. An announcement on the extended
ceasefire is to be expected in Egypt, according to Haaretz.
"An agreement has been reached between the
two sides and we are awaiting the announcement from Cairo to determine the zero
hour for implementation," said the spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri.
An
anonymous Palestinian official also told AFP that the contacts working on the
issue in Egypt's capital "agreed
a permanent cease-fire, a [deal to] end the blockade and a guarantee that
Gaza's demands and needs will be met."
Israel
has so far declined to comment on the report.
However,
a spokesman for a group called the Palestinian Popular Resistance Committees –
which has been responsible for directing rockets into Israel – told Reuters
that Egypt could be announcing the news within two hours.
Earlier,
Hamas' deputy leader in Cairo, Moussa Abu Marzoul, told Haaretz: “The negotiations have ended and we have
reached understandings that underscore the steadfast stance of the Palestinian
people with the victory of the resistance.”
“We are waiting for an official
announcement to set the final hour and announce a cease-fire and an end to
Israeli aggression.”
However,
shortly after the announcement, rocket sirens were heard in southern Israel –
Eshkol, Sdot Negev and Sha'ar Hanegev regional Council – near the border of
Gaza, reported Haaretz.
Monday marked the 50th day
since Israel started its campaign in Gaza on July 8 and the death toll has
already reached 2,120 people, of which 577 are children, according to the
Palestinian Health Ministry.
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