A 72-hour Gaza ceasefire period began earlier today, the most ambitious attempt so far to end more than three weeks of Israeli brutal, inhuman ground and air strikes in Gaza.
The humanitarian truce, brokered by the United Nations and the United States, went into effect at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT), and was to be lead to talks in Egypt on a longer-term solution.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a 72-hour humanitarian cease-fire to start Friday, though Secretary of State John Kerry cautioned there were “no guarantees” the lull in violence would bring an end to the 24-day-old Gaza war.
The announcement came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas’ tunnel network “with or without a cease-fire” and as the Palestinian death toll soared to 1,456 during 25 days of blatant Israeli aggression. The 61 IDF (Israeli defence forces) casualties have also given the Zionist govt. pause for thought.
