|
The Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movement Hamas early on Friday approved a United Nations-brokered 72-hour ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which will start in the morning on Friday.
"The Palestinian factions and Israel had reached a 72-hour ceasefire through United Nations mediation," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said. "The ceasefire is due to start at 8: 00am on Friday," he told Anadolu Agency.
He said Gaza-based factions would abide by the humanitarian lull so long as Israel shows commitment to it too.
Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip since July 7 with fierce aerial, naval and ground bombardments with the ostensible aim of halting rocket fire from the strip, leaving 1440 dead and 8300 others injured so far.
The vast majority of the dead and injured victims are civilians: children, women and elderly people.
Gaza-based resistance factions, meanwhile, have continued to fire rocket at Israeli cities in response to relentless Israeli bombardments.
According to official Israeli figures, 53 Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed since the hostilities began.
Israel's military operation, dubbed operation "Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populate Gaza Strip – which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.
In 2008/9, over 1500 Palestinians were killed in Israel's three-week-long operation "Cast Lead."
By Mustafa Haboosh
englishnews@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en - Gazze
|
Poem
Manşetler
Spor
Son Dakika
Haber
Yerel Haberler
