Previous ceasefire deals have collapsed since the war began on July 8 and it was not clear if this one would hold.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said he hoped the ceasefire would stick, shortly after the announcement was made.
In Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry highlighted Egypt's involvement in reaching an agreement between the two bitter enemies.
He said: "Egypt has called on the two sides, the Israeli and the Palestinian sides to a complete ceasefire and to the opening of the border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel, in order to accomplish the rapid delivery of humanitarian and medical aid, materials for reconstruction as well as to resume fishing within a space of six nautical miles."
In a televised address on Tuesday night, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said the end of the war underscored the need to find a permanent solution to the conflict with Israel.
"What next? Gaza Strip, specifically, has witnessed three wars, in 2008-2009, in 2012 and in 2014. Can we expect another war in a year or two? How long can the case stay without a solution?," he asked.
The war killed more than 2,140 Palestinians and wounded more than 11,000, Palestinian health officials said. mThe UN says about three quarters of the Palestinians killed have been civilians.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US "strongly supported" the cease-fire agreement and asked all sides to comply with their terms after others had broken down.
"We view this as an opportunity, not a certainty," Ms Psaki told journalists.
"Today's agreement comes after many hours and days of negotiations and discussions. But certainly there's a long road ahead. And we're aware of that and we're going into this eyes wide open."
via Top Stories - Google News http://ift.tt/1qrZ59p
Put the internet to work for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment