Hamas and Israel Agree on Truce to End Gaza Flare-Up: Palestinian Officials

Gaza: The Islamic Hamas movement said that a truce with Israel on halting escalation in the Gaza Strip began from Thursday midnight. The agreement, brokered by Egypt and UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov, will end another round of military confrontation between Israel and Hamas, a source from Hamas told Xinhua news agency. “A calm-for-calm deal has been brokered by Egypt and by the UN Special envoy on condition that the Israeli occupation should respect the agreement,” the Hamas source said on condition of anonymity. “The Palestinian resistance has the right to respond to any Israeli violation,” the source added. Meanwhile, a source from the Popular Resistance Committees, a coalition of armed Palestinian groups in Gaza, said the agreement came into effect at midnight. (IANS)