Egypt says Gaza truce agreed

Egyptian state television and the state news agency MENA announced on Tuesday that the Israel Defense Forces and Palestinian militant groups had agreed to hold their fire from 7 p.m. local time (1600 UTC).

This came after intense negotiations between the two sides, mediated by Egyptian officials in Cairo.

News of the ceasefire first came from Hamas and another Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, who described it as an "open ended" truce which included an agreement by Israel to ease its seven-year-old blockade of the densely populated coastal territory.

According to the Reuters news agency, Egypt's foreign ministry was planning to issue a more detailed statement about the terms of the ceasefire shortly. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also took to the airwaves to announce the truce, but there was no immediate comment from the Israeli government or security officials.

If confirmed, the ceasefire could end the Israeli offensive aimed at stopping militants in Gaza from firing rockets into the Jewish state.

The offensive has killed more than 2,000 Palestinians over the past 50 days, the majority of whom were civilians. According to the United Nations, more than 17,000 residences were destroyed in Gaza, leaving 100,000 Palestinians homeless.

On the Israeli side, 68 people have been killed, all but four of whom were soldiers.

pfd/jr (AFP, AP, Reuters)