Israel and Hamas accept 72-hour cease-fire

[Draggingtree]

The Daily Star:

Aug. 11, 2014 | 12:52 AM

Israel and Hamas accept 72-hour cease-fire

Agencies

CAIRO: A 72-hour cease-fire went into effect after midnight Sunday after Israel and Hamas accepted a fresh Egyptian proposal, clearing the way for the resumption of talks on a long-term truce meant to end a month of heavy fighting in the Gaza Strip that has cost nearly 2,000 lives.

 

The announcement marked the second time in less than a week that the two sides have agreed to Egyptian mediation. A similar 72-hour truce last week collapsed in renewed violence over the weekend.

 

In Cairo, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the truce would take effect at midnight and would create the atmosphere to resume humanitarian aid to the battered Gaza Strip and allow for

An Egyptian crackdown on smuggling tunnels along Gaza’s southern border has made things even tougher by robbing Hamas of its key economic pipeline and weapons conduit.