Cairo declares Palestinian, Israeli truce

CAIRO, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A "comprehensive" truce between the Palestinians and Israel was reached on Tuesday in Cairo over the ongoing conflict in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, Egyptian state-run MENA news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Egypt's foreign ministry also published on its website a statement over the newly-reached ceasefire.

"Egypt invited the Palestinian and the Israeli sides for a comprehensive ceasefire simultaneously with opening the border crossings between Gaza and Israel for immediate entrance of humanitarian aids and reconstruction requirements into Gaza," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in its statement.

"Since the two sides both accepted the Egyptian proposal, the ceasefire is to start on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. (16:00 GMT)," the statement added, noting that the new truce proposal is based on Cairo's recent ceasefire initiative and the 2012 Cairo-brokered truce.

Hamas officials hinted earlier that they have reached a lasting ceasefire agreement through their Cairo-brokered indirect talks with the Israeli side.

"An agreement was reached between the two sides and we are waiting for declaring it from Cairo," Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, told Xinhua earlier on Tuesday.

Egypt has recently brokered several temporary ceasefire agreements between Gaza-ruling Hamas movement and Israel, and it urged on Saturday both sides to accept an "indefinite" truce and resume indirect talks.

The North African Arab state managed to reach a long-term truce between Hamas and Israel in late 2012 during the one-year rule of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

The ongoing Israel offensive on Gaza, which started on July 8, has left more than 2,100 Palestinians killed and 11,100 wounded, while Hamas attacks killed at least 64 Israeli soldiers and five civilians

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2014-08/27/c_126921232.htm