WarSclerotic

Gaza cease-fire set to begin at 7 p.m. goes into effect, but sirens persist, Jerusalem Post, August 26, 2014

(Why were the cabinet members not asked to vote on the ceasefire? To take the blame collectively? — DM)

Hamas official Abu Marzouk says Egyptian-brokered truce represents “a victory for the resistance”; officials say Israeli cabinet members briefed on cease-fire, but not asked to vote on it.

Sisi, Mashaal and Netanyahu Photo: REUTERS

Israel and the Palestinians agreed to an Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire to end Gaza hostilities which went into effect at 7 p.m. Israeli time on Tuesday.

Despite the Egyptian announcement of the cease-fire, red alert sirens continued to be heard in Israel’s southern communities after 7 p.m. An Israeli was killed by one of dozens of mortar shells fired at the Eshkol Regional Council just before the cease-fire was set to commence.

Senior Israeli officials said that the cabinet ministers were updated by phone that Israel would accept the cease-fire. The eight-person security cabinet was briefed on the decision to accept the cease-fire, but not asked to vote on it.

The Egyptian proposal which the sides agreed to entails an unlimited cease-fire letting material in to rehabilitate Gaza under supervision. In addition, each side will raise other demands within a month.

The announcement came after Palestinian officials had earlier stated that a deal had been reached to end the nearly two months of fighting.

“An agreement has been reached between the two sides and we are awaiting the announcement from Cairo to determine the zero hour for implementation,” said Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri.

Cairo’s initiative, Palestinians officials said, called for an indefinite halt to seven weeks of hostilities, the immediate opening of Gaza’s blockaded crossings with Israel and Egypt and a widening of the enclave’s fishing zone in the Mediterranean.

Under a second stage that would begin a month later, Israel and the Palestinians would discuss the construction of a Gaza sea port and an Israeli release of Hamas prisoners in the West Bank, the officials said.

Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk tweeted that the negotiations had ended and an understanding has been reached, “culminating in the resilience of our people and the victory of our resistance.”

Al Hayat quoted a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader as telling the paper that the group wanted the agreement to “stop the brutal aggression” and avoid the deaths of Palestinian children, adding that the Israelis had “targeted civilians to put pressure on the resistance.”

The official said Israel was “eager to reach an agreement” despite its “arrogance,” noting that senior Israeli officials had been involved in indirect talks. He added that the Egyptian proposal would strengthen the role of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, including by assisting in supervision of the Rafah crossing. He added that Israel had “failed to achieve its goals,” which were to “disarm the resistance and prevent tunnel construction.”

Israeli officials stressed on Monday evening that as long as Hamas continues firing rockets and mortars there will be no “Cairo cease-fire process,” even as the terror group said efforts were carrying on to reach an agreement.

The Islamic Jihad’s Khaled al-Batsh said in a statement early Monday that the armistice would be based on the 2012 understandings reached between Israel and the Palestinian groups, in addition to Egypt’s latest proposal for rebuilding the Gaza Strip and expanding the fishing zone for local fishermen.

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