Hamas: 72-hour truce includes Israeli withdrawal from Gaza

The 72-hour truce announced by Egypt includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, senior Hamas leader Mousa Abu-Marzouk said today.

Writing on Twitter, Abu-Marzouk said: “The truce is going to start at 8am, Gaza time, and it includes the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation from the Gaza borders.”

Earlier, Israel announced its agreement to the truce proposed by the Egyptians. Israeli radio reported anonymous officials in Israeli prime minister’s office saying that the government accepted the truce after it was discussed in a security cabinet meeting.

The Hamas member said indirect talks with the Israelis to reach a permanent truce would start.

According to Israeli radio, an Israeli delegation is to travel to Cairo for the discussions around a permanent truce.

Yesterday evening, Egypt announced that it reached an agreement on a 72-hour truce that would start today.

“As Egypt is concerned about the souls of the innocent, as well as being concerned about the bloodshed, it calls for a 72-hour truce between Israel and the Palestinians,” a statement for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.