Hamas agrees on five-hour humanitarian ceasefire

Gaza, July 17 (IANS) The Islamic Hamas movement and Palestinian militant groups agreed late Wednesday to a UN appeal of a five-hour humanitarian ceasefire with Israel Thursday, a Hamas official said.

Hamas and other Palestinian factions agreed to halt rocket firing into Israel for five hours Thursday in response to a proposal by the UN, Xinhua quoted the official as saying on condition of anonymity. He added that the movement "will respond to any Israeli attacks on Gaza during the pause".

Earlier on Wednesday night, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it will enable a humanitarian window in Gaza between 10 am to 3 pm on Thursday, as a result of a dialogue with the UN. But it also added that if Hamas fires rockets at Israel during the humanitarian window, the IDF will respond with force.

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It's the first pause of fighting since Israel and Hamas fighters have engaged in fierce cross-border attacks since last Tuesday when Israel started an all-out operation to halt Gaza rocket fire. The operation has claimed 223 Palestinian lives so far.

Before the agreement on the five-hour ceasefire, Hamas officially rejected an Egyptian initiative of ceasefire between Gaza militants and Israel earlier on Wednesday. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Israel would expand and increase" its campaign against Hamas and other militant organisations in the Gaza Strip until the rocket fire from Gaza comes to an end.

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