By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH
Associated Press
CAIRO (AP) - Israel and the
Hamas militant group reached a cease-fire agreement Wednesday to end
eight days of the fiercest fighting in nearly four years, promising to
halt attacks on each other and ease an Israeli blockade constricting the
Gaza Strip.
The deal was brokered by
the new Islamist government of Egypt, solidifying its role as a leader
in the quickly shifting Middle East. Under the agreement, Egypt will
play a key role in maintaining the peace.
Egypt's foreign minister,
Mohammed Kamel Amr, said the deal was set to take effect at 9 p.m. local
time. (2 p.m. EDT), capping days of intense efforts that drew the
world's top diplomats into the fray. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton stood next to Amr as he announced the breakthrough at a
news conference in Cairo.
The agreement will "improve conditions for the people of Gaza and provide security for the people of Israel," Clinton said.
In Israel, Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he agreed to the cease-fire after
consulting with President Barack Obama.
Israel launched the fierce
Israeli offensive in Gaza on Nov. 14 to stop months of intensifying
rocket attacks. Even after the deal was announced, air raid sirens
continued to wail in southern Israel.
In the last-minute burst of
fire, Palestinian militants fired several bursts of rockets, Israeli
authorities said. One rocket hit a house in the southern city of
Beersheba, police said. No injuries were reported.
Israel launched well over
1,500 airstrikes and other attacks on targets in Gaza, while more than
1,000 rockets pounded Israel. In all, more than 140 Palestinians,
including dozens of civilians, were killed, while five Israelis died in
the fighting.
According to a copy of the
agreement obtained by The Associated Press, Israel and all Palestinian
militant groups agreed to halt "all hostilities." For the Palestinians,
that means an end to Israeli airstrikes and assassinations of wanted
militants. For Israel, it brings a halt to rocket fire and attempts at
cross-border incursions from Gaza.
After a 24-hour cooling off
period, it calls for "opening the crossings and facilitating the
movement of people and transfer of goods, and refraining from
restricting residents free movement."
Hamas officials said details on the new border arrangements would have to be negotiated.
Israel imposed its blockade
of Gaza after Hamas, a militant group sworn to Israel's destruction,
seized control of the territory five years ago. It has gradually eased
the closure, but continues to restrict the movement of certain goods
through Israeli-controlled crossings. Among the restrictions: a
near-complete ban on exports, limited movement of people leaving the
territory, and limits on construction materials that Israel says could
be used for military use.
The deal was vague on what
limits Israel would lift, and whether Gaza's southern passenger terminal
on the Egyptian border would be expanded to allow cargo to pass through
as well. The deal was also unclear about a key Israeli demand for an
end to arms smuggling into Gaza in tunnels underneath the border with
Egypt.
Under the agreement, Egypt
will play a key role. It said "Egypt shall receive assurances from each
party" that they are committed to the deal.
"Each party shall commit
itself not to perform any acts that would break this understanding," it
adds. "In case of any observations, Egypt - as the sponsor of this
understanding - shall be informed to follow up."
The deal marked a key
victory for Egypt's new Islamist government, which is caught in a
balancing act between its allegiance to Hamas and its need to maintain
good relations with Israel and the U.S. Hamas is an offshoot of Egypt's
ruling Muslim Brotherhood.
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2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
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