GAZA, August 5 (RIA Novosti) – The Islamist Hamas movement that controls the Gaza Strip has accepted Egypt’s ceasefire proposal, which envisages a three-day humanitarian pause and negotiations on the conditions of the ultimate resolution of the conflict with Israel.
"Hamas told Egypt a short while ago of its acceptance of a 72-hour period of calm…and start of proximity talks in Cairo based on conditions that were defined by the joint Palestinian delegation" Hamas statement said.
Both sides of the conflict that has been ongoing for four weeks have accepted Egypt’s proposal and are ready to stop military action at 8:00 a.m. local time (5:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
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.
