Egypt: "Israel", Hamas Agree to Ceasefire

Source: Alalam.ir, 17-06-2008

CAIRO--Egypt said on Tuesday a ceasefire it has been trying to broker between ‘Israeli' occupation regime and Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza will begin on Thursday morning.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said "military activities" will stop by 6:00 a.m. (0300 GMT). A Palestinian official in Gaza confirmed the details.

"Both sides have pledged to halt all hostilities and all military activities against each other," Zaki said.

The truce is important to Egypt, which does not want to be viewed as aiding the ‘Israeli' blockade on Gaza.

‘Israel' stopped short of confirming the timing of what it said would be an informal arrangement to halt fighting.

"What is said by both sides is not important, what is important is the implementation," Zaki told Reuters.

Asked if Egypt believed both sides would honor their commitments, he said: "We hope so. What else can we do?"

"Hamas will adhere to the timetable which was set by Egypt but it is our right to respond to any ‘Israeli' aggression before its implementation," said Fawzi Barhum, a spokesman for the resistance Hamas movement, regarding to the fresh ‘Israeli' air raids to Gaza.

Six Palestinians were martyred and several injured in a string of ‘Israeli' air strikes on the Gaza Strip which has been struggling with an imposed ‘Israeli' siege on the coastal territory for nearly a year.

‘Israeli' violence in Gaza was clouding talks between ‘Israel' and the Palestinians that were revived in November.

Hamas wants ‘Israel' to lift its crippling blockade of Gaza and to halt all military operations in the tiny coastal territory, a term which ‘Israel' has never committed to.