Hamas agrees to 24-hour Gaza truce
Hamas said it has agreed to a 24-hour humanitarian truce in the Gaza war ahead of a major Muslim holiday.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the truce would go into effect at 2pm (12pm Irish time) today.
The three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday, which caps the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, is expected to begin on Monday or Tuesday, depending on the sighting of the new moon.
Israel had offered a 24-hour truce late on Saturday, but Hamas rejected it, firing more rockets on Israel. In response, Israel’s military resumed operations in Gaza.
Lt Col Peter Lerner, an Israeli army spokesman, did not say if Israel would hold its fire during the time requested by Hamas, but said troops would continue demolishing Hamas military tunnels.
