GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Egyptian state media announced that a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is taking effect Tuesday, halting the seven-week Gaza war which has killed over 2,200 people, the vast majority Palestinians.
Egyptian state television and the state news agency MENA announced the deal, saying it would begin at 7 p.m. local time (9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time), without elaborating.
Israeli officials have yet to comment.
Earlier, officials from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the main groups fighting in Gaza against Israel, said a cease-fire had been reached. They described it as an “open-ended” cease-fire that included an Israeli agreement to ease its blockade of Gaza to allow relief supplies and construction materials into the war-battered territory.
Hamas sent text messages to its supporters, urging them to take to the streets in celebration.
In Israel, a last-minute burst of mortar shells fired from Gaza killed an Israeli and wounded two seriously, medics said.
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