Gaza militants agreed to a ceasefire with Israel, a Hamas official said Sunday, three days of violence from all sides. The Hamas official said militants in Gaza have agreed the truce would go into effect Sunday evening, in accordance with the deal brokered by Egypt.
Egyptian officials said Israel would agree to halt strikes only if the Palestinians stopped the rocket fire first. A spokesman for Israel’s government would not comment, and it was not clear if the cease-fire would take effect or hold.
Diplomatic efforts between Egypt and Israel are also being engaged in regarding the five Egyptian security personnel killed in an Israel attack that spilled over into the Sinai, which diplomats from the U.S., France and Germany were working to settle. But alongside the talks, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai said Israel “will not hesitate” to widen its military operation if necessary.
A spokesman said Abbas’ Palestinian Authority planned to use the recent violence to bolster its case for statehood at the United Nations next month. “An independent Palestinian state is the remedy for violence,” Husam Zomlot said. “It would control its borders and prevent such deterioration from happening.”
