Egypt-brokered Hamas-Israel ceasefire comes into effect — RT

Egypt-brokered Hamas-Israel ceasefire comes into effect — RT

Following eight days of intense shelling that left over 150 people killed, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has come into effect. The truce was announced by Egypt's foreign minister and confirmed by both Israeli and Palestinian officials.
The truce announcement was made by Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“These efforts and contacts have yielded an understanding about a truce and restoration of calm, and the halting of the bloodshed that we have witnessed during the recent period,” Amr said.
"A short while ago Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with [US] President Barack Obama and agreed to his recommendation to give a chance to an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire and thereby give an opportunity for the stabilization of the situation and a calming of it," the Netanyahu office's statement reads.
The deal stipulates that Israel “stop all hostilities in the Gaza Strip – land sea and air, including incursions and targeting of individuals,” while “all Palestinian factions shall stop all hostilities from the Gaza Strip against Israel, including rocket attacks and all attacks along the border.”
The document also says that crossings should be opened to facilitate the movement of people and goods, and that residents’ free movements should not be restricted, while targeting residents in border areas should be.
According to the deal, the exact details of implementation will be decided 24 hours from the start of the ceasefire.
The announcement comes after Clinton and UN chief Ban Ki-Moon traveled to Cairo on Wednesday to push for a ceasefire as the conflict entered its eighth day.
The UN Secretary-General met with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. Clinton met with Morsi as well, and later with Amr.
"Ultimately every step must move us towards a comprehensive peace for the people of the region," Clinton said after the ceasefire was announced.
Later, during a special press conference devoted to the ceasefire, Netanyahu expressed gratitude to Clinton, Obama and Egypt for their, cooperation saying Israel “put in a lot of military power together with diplomatic.”
Meanwhile, Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that all his government's military goals in Gaza were "achieved" as the ceasefire agreement comes into effect.
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal praised Egypt for its efforts in reaching the truce agreement. He said that Israel has started the conflict, and that Hamas was forced to respond. He added that while Israel claims to have reached its goals, it “failed to destroy Gaza’s infrastructure.”
Arab diplomats were also active in the negotiation process. An Arab League delegation arrived in Gaza on Tuesday to support the Palestinian people, while last week Egypt's Prime Minister Hesham Kandil traveled to Gaza with a support mission.
Rumors about an imminent truce have been circulating in the media for a while.
On Tuesday, Hamas official Ayman Taha announced that an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire was to be declared in Gaza at 19:00 GMT and would go into effect at 22:00 GMT the same night. Shortly after the announcement, Israel said a ceasefire deal was yet to be finalized.
Also on Tuesday, Morsi expressed certainty that Gaza and Israel would shortly reach a ceasefire, but did not elaborate on the matter.