Israel and Hamas have both signed on to an Egyptian proposal for a new 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza that will begin at 5 p.m. eastern, or midnight local time. It marked the second time in less than a week that the two sides had agreed to a ceasefire proposal pushed by Egypt although violence resumed over the weekend. Egypt insisted the ceasefire would not only allow negotiations to proceed but also pave the way for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, reports the Associated Press. Israel has vowed to return to Cairo Monday to continue negotiations if the ceasefire holds.
A total of 1,895 Palestinians and 67 Israelis have been killed in the month-long conflict, but the violence is not getting as much global attention as usual due to other pressing news around the world, including in Iraq and Ukraine, notes Reuters. Even though the violence resumed Friday the Palestinian rocket fire and Israeli airstrikes of the past few days “have been on a lower scale than the fierce fighting of the past month,” points out the New York Times.
