Israel and the Hamas movement which governs Gaza last night agreed a ceasefire to end a week of violence in which nearly 160 people have died, Egyptian and Hamas officials said.
The ceasefire was announced by Egyptian Foreign Minister Kamel Amr alongside United States secretary of State Hilary Clinton is intended to come into effect at 19:00 GMT (21:00 local time), the officials say. Similar predictions on Tuesday failed to produce a deal.
A bomb exploded on a bus in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, leaving three people needing surgery.
At least 13 people were killed in Gaza.
As usual, the talking started before the killing stopped. Since Hamas took over internal control of the Gaza Strip from their Palestinian rivals Fatah in 2007, there have been many spasms of cross-border violence. All have been followed by ceasefires. All have fallen apart, and every time Israel and Hamas blame each other.
The reason is that the ceasefires have been, to paraphrase a spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister, sticking plaster solutions. They cover up the fundamental problem which is that Hamas and Israel are in what amounts to a constant state of war. For months on end it can be a cold war, until it runs hot – and deadly – again.
There is a strong chance that a new ceasefire would eventually fall apart too, unless it brought with it a major change in the political equation between Israel and the Palestinians, especially those in Gaza
This time round, both sides have been trying to change the rules of the game by attaching conditions to a ceasefire. Israel wanted Hamas not to rearm, and not to fire over the border. Hamas wanted Israel to stop assassinations and to stop the blockade of Gaza.
That’s the kind of deal that might even work if they made it. But for that to happen both sides would have to make big concessions to their enemy.
The details of the deal are not yet clear, says the BBC’s Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen.
Israel’s demands included an end to hostile fire of any kind from Gaza and international efforts to prevent Hamas from re-arming. For its part, Hamas wanted an end to the blockade on Gaza and targeted killings by Israel.
Israel has accepted the deal, according to a statement released from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr Netanyahu consulted with US President Barack Obama before agreeing to the ceasefire.
Mr Netanyahu accepted Mr Obama’s “suggestion to give a chance to Egypt’s proposal for a ceasefire and so give an opportunity to stabilise the situation and calm it before there will be need to apply greater force”.
For the truce to hold, “the rocket attacks [from Gaza] must end and a broader calm must return,” Mrs Clinton said.
“Now we have to focus on reaching a durable outcome that promotes regional stability and advances the security, dignity and legitimate aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis alike,” she said.
Israel launched its current offensive a week ago with the killing of Hamas military leader Ahmed Jabari.
Militants fired more rockets at Israel, while Israel renewed its naval artillery bombardment of Gaza late on Wednesday. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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