After eight days of fighting, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease-fire, according to the Egyptian foreign minister.
The cease-fire will begin at 9 p.m. (2 p.m. EDT) Cairo time. Since the fighting began last week, more than 140 Palestinians and five Israelis have been killed.
Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr made the announcement with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said America “welcomes the agreement.”
Israeli Prime Mininster Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the cease-fire and said he agreed to the deal after speaking with President Barack Obama. Netanyahu is expected to make a statement at 1:30 p.m. EST from Jerusalem.
Palestinian intelligence officials told NBC News that Israel agreed it would not assassinate any leaders of Hamas or any other groups. The cease-fire agreement also required commitments from Israel and Palestine to restore calm on both sides. In addition, Israel agreed to consider easing the movement of Palestinians after a few months. The truce comes after a bus explosion in Tel Aviv wounded 19 people earlier in the day.Recommended
