Jerusalem – Israel and the Palestinians agreed to a cease-fire Saturday to end a five-month Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip and the firing of rockets by Palestinian militants into the Jewish state, officials from both sides said.
The Israeli military said early today that it withdrew all troops from Gaza in the hours before the 6 a.m. cease-fire took effect.
The agreement was reached after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert late Saturday to tell him that all Palestinian militant groups had pledged to stop rocket attacks into Israel, Olmert spokeswoman Miri Eisin said.
She said Abbas asked that Israel reciprocate by stopping its military operations in Gaza and withdrawing its forces, and Olmert agreed.
Nabil Abu Rdeneh, an Abbas spokesman, later confirmed that Palestinian armed factions – including those allied to the Hamas militant group – had agreed to stop their military activities in Gaza and reinstate a truce reached in Egypt in February 2005.
“There is a signed agreement between the president and Prime Minister (Ismail) Haniyeh and all the Palestinian factions to resort to the agreement of the factions in Cairo in 2005, including ceasing all the military activity from Gaza,” Abu Rdeneh said.
“The Israeli prime minister has agreed, and it is going to start tomorrow morning.”
Israel launched its offensive after Hamas-linked militants staged a cross-border raid in June and captured an Israeli soldier, whom they are still holding. Despite international criticism over Palestinian civilian deaths, Olmert pledged to continue the offensive until Palestinian attacks from Gaza significantly decreased.
Earlier Saturday, Hamas’ leader said his group was willing to give negotiations with Israel six months to reach an agreement for a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank, but he threatened a new uprising if talks fail.
