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01st Aug 2014

Unconditional 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza

The truce came into effect at 5am this morning...

Joe Harrington

The truce came into effect at 5am this morning…

Israel and Hamas have begun an unconditional 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and US secretary of state John Kerry announced the temporary break in fighting in a joint statement this morning and it began at 5am Irish time.

Israeli and Palestinian delegations will travel to Cairo immediately, at the invitation of Egypt, in a bid to negotiate a resolution after over three weeks of fighting.

More than 1,450 Palestinians have died, mostly civilians, since the conflict began, health officials say. 61 Israeli soldiers, two civilians and a Thai national have also been killed.

Israel says its operation in Gaza is designed to defend themselves from attacks by Palestinian militants. Hamas wants a blockade of Gaza, maintained by both Israel and Egypt, to be lifted.

Hat-tip to BBC News.

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