An Egypt-mediated truce between Israel and the Palestinian factions in Gaza has begun Tuesday morning minutes after an exchange of cross-border fire.
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The ceasefire, that is supposed to see hostilities halted for 72 hours to allow for
peace talks in Cairo, started at 05:00 GMT.
Just minutes before that, air raid sirens sounded across southern
Israel and an area east of Jerusalem. No injuries or casualties
have been reported in the attack, for which Hamas claimed
responsibility.
The IDF reportedly responded with artillery fire.
However, the exchange of fire stopped just before the negotiated
beginning of the truce.
A military spokesman earlier announced that all Israeli ground
forces were to withdraw from Gaza before the start of the
ceasefire.
"The Israeli Defense Forces will be redeployed in defensive
positions outside the Gaza Strip and we will maintain those
defensive positions," Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner told
reporters.
The truce, brokered by Egyptian mediators, comes after several
failed attempts to halt hostilities in Gaza.
"This is all I have left" a man said holding 6 chickens who miraculously survived the bombings &street fights #Gazapic.twitter.com/sBpM3TM3NR
— Bel Trew - بل ترو (@Beltrew) August 5, 2014
"Egypt has received very strong indicators on the acceptance
by all parties of a 72-hour ceasefire starting at 05:00
GMT," an Egyptian diplomatic source said, according to
Reuters.
"We hope this will secure a permanent ceasefire and restore
stability," Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Israelis and
Palestinians to observe the 72-hour ceasefire on Tuesday and to
exercise maximum restraint. Earlier, the UN said it will use the
temporary ceasefire to restock supplies at schools and other
shelters for about 270,000 displaced Palestinians.
Some 1,834 Palestinians have perished in Israeli strikes and in
fighting, most of them civilians, Gaza officials have said.
Israel says 64 of its soldiers and three civilians have been
killed since July 8, when the military operation started on the
grounds of surge in cross-border rocket salvos from Gaza.