After today’s lengthy cabinet meeting, the Israeli government has decided on a unilateral ceasefire which will begin at 2 A.M. Sunday morning (7 PM this evening EST). At that time, Israeli forces will stop their nearly month-long attack that has killed over 1,100 Gazans and injured over 5,000 others. Nine ministers voted in favor of the ceasefire, and two, Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On and Labor Minister Eli Yishal, voted against.
The ceasefire deal is described in the Israeli media as being 10 days long, although Israeli troops will remain in the Gaza Strip for an indeterminate period of time, leaving open the possibility of restoring hostilities at any time. Hamas has said it will continue to fight until Israeli forces withdraw.
The ceasefire may provide time for the Israeli and Hamas governments to settle on the Egypt-brokered ceasefire proposal, aiming for a more long-term cessation of hostilities and the reopening of the border crossings to the Gaza Strip.