TEL AVIV, August 5 (RIA Novosti) – Israel has accepted Egypt’s ceasefire proposal and will stop military action in Gaza Strip for 72 hours early Tuesday, a source in Israeli government told RIA Novosti.
“Israel accepts the terms proposed by Egypt, the ceasefire will begin tomorrow [Tuesday] at 8:00 a.m. local time (5:00 GMT) and will last for 72 hours,” the source said.
Earlier Sunday, Egypt has held consultations with Palestinian delegation, including representatives of Hamas movement that controls Gaza. The talks have allegedly resulted in the proposal addressed to Israel.
“Israel initially supported the Egyptian initiative and called for ceasefire without any preconditions,” the source added.
Israeli government first approved Egypt’s proposal of unconditioned ceasefire and the start of negotiations on the ultimate resolution of the conflict three weeks ago. Back then the Palestinians led by Hamas that refused to stop the rocket attacks without Tel Aviv promising to lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip opposed to the truce deal.
It is expected that the current ceasefire will give both sides an opportunity to enter into proximity negotiations on the conditions of the ultimate resolution of the conflict that has been ongoing for four weeks.
Last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry mediated a three-day humanitarian pause and the following talks in Cairo. The truce that began early Friday was broken an hour later due to the clashes in southern Gaza, which claimed lives of three Israeli soldiers. Blaming Hamas for the incident, Tel Aviv resumed military action and refused to send its delegation to Egypt.
Israel has launched Operation Protective Edge on July 8 to put an end to rocket fire from Gaza. On July 17, the Israeli Army switched to a ground assault largely aimed at locating and destroying rocket launchers and underground tunnels. According to the latest reports, over 1,800 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 67 Israelis have been killed since the offensive began.
