Israel and Hamas have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, US Secretary of State John Kerry said.
Kerry said the two sides would begin the truce at 8am local time on Friday and that Israelis and Palestinians would enter talks in Cairo.
“This ceasefire is critical to giving innocent civilians a much-needed reprieve from violence,” Mr Kerry said in a hastily arranged early morning statement on a visit to Delhi, India.
“During this period, civilians in Gaza will receive urgently needed humanitarian relief, and the opportunity to carry out vital functions, including burying the dead, taking care of the injured, and restocking food supplies,” he said. “Overdue repairs on essential water and energy infrastructure could also continue during this period.”
Mr Kerry said he was announcing the truce jointly with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who has also invested intense efforts in brokering an end to the bloody conflict.
A statement said the US and the UN had received assurances that all parties to the conflict in Gaza had agreed to an unconditional ceasefire during which there would be negotiations on a more durable truce in the three-week-old fighting.
“It [the ceasefire] will last for a period of 72 hours unless extended. During this time the forces on the ground will remain in place,” the statement said.
“We urge all parties to act with restraint until this humanitarian ceasefire begins, and to fully abide by their commitments during the ceasefire.”
source: smh.com.au
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