Hamas yesterday agreed to observe a 24-hour humanitarian truce after initially rejecting such an offer by Israel, as fighting resumed and the two sides wrangled over the terms of a lull that the international community hopes can be expanded into a more sustainable truce.
Between the rival announcements Palestinian militants fired rockets deep into Israel, prompting it to resume an offensive aimed at destroying rocket launchers and cross-border attack tunnels used by Hamas.
Hours later Hamas said it would be willing to abide by a new 24-hour humanitarian truce ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the truce would go into effect at 2pm yesterday. The three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday is expected to begin today or tomorrow, depending on the sighting of the new moon.
Israel had offered a 24-hour truce late on Saturday, but Hamas — which has demanded the lifting of the Israeli and Egyptian blockade on Gaza, as well as the release of Palestinian prisoners — rejected it.
Israeli Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner did not say if Israel would hold its fire during the time requested by Hamas, but said troops would continue demolishing militant tunnels.
The 20-day war has killed more than 1,050 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel has lost 43 soldiers. Two civilians and a Thai worker in Israel were killed by rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza.
The military had earlier said about a dozen rockets were fired toward Israel since midnight — without causing casualties or damage — and that as a result it would “resume its aerial, naval and ground activity in the Gaza Strip.”
The Israeli military released a video showing a rocket being fired from what it said was a Gaza school.
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