Israel, Palestine accept new proposal for 72-hour ceasefire

Israel has accepted a new Gaza ceasefire proposed by Egyptian mediators and will send negotiators to Cairo on Monday if the truce holds, Israeli officials said.

Egypt had called on Israel and the Palestinians to commit to a new ceasefire that would start at 2100 GMT and be in effect for 72 hours. A previous three-day pause expired on Friday and fighting in a month-old war resumed.

Palestinian factions will formally accept a new 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza after Israel agreed to resume talks without pre-conditions, Izzat al-Reshiq, a Hamas negotiator in Cairo, told Reuters.

‘In light of Israel’s acceptance of the truce and their return without pre-conditions ... we will inform the Egyptian brothers of our positive response,’ he said.

Reshiq said the Palestinian factions had not given up any of their demands, which include an end to the blockade of Gaza and the release of prisoners. Egypt invited Israel and the Palestinians earlier on Sunday to commit to a new three-day truce to start 2100 GMT. 

Till now, Egyptian efforts to broker an end to more than a month of fighting had led nowhere, with Israel pulling its team out of talks in Cairo on Friday.