An Egyptian-brokered hudna truce has been reached between Israel and Hamas, a senior Israeli security official said Tuesday. The official told AFP that Hamas agreed to stop firing rockets as long as Israel ceases its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
| What did Islamic Jihad have to say? |
| If they don't reject it, Popular Resistance Committees will. Or PFLP. Or the al-Aqsa Martyrs. Or a new group will arise... |
According to the unnamed official, Cairo played an active role in the deal, in an effort to reach a ceasefire which would eventually lead to the removal of the Israeli blockade imposed on the Strip.
 Earlier Tuesday, a rocket struck Ashkelon, dispelling reports that an Israel-Hamas truce had already been reached. The rocket landed in an open area in the southern Ashkelon industrial zone. Nobody was wounded in the attack, and no damage was reported.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for the attack, but Israel held Hamas responsible. "Hamas controls Gaza and they are responsible for every missile fired from Gaza into Israel," said government spokesman Mark Regev.
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On a visit to the town earlier in the day, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned members of the Ashkelon City Council that the barrages of Grad-type rockets which plagued their city until the middle of last week was not a one-time event. Speaking during a visit to the southern Israeli town of 120,000, Olmert said "this is the reality of the past 60 years and we must show restraint and strength."
The prime minister said that even though the town was enjoying a lull in recent days, "there is no way to ensure that rocket fire would not be renewed." |