Al Jazeera News :
Hamas has said a deal to restore calm in the besieged Gaza Strip has been reached, ending the Israeli onslaught on Hamas positions and other violence that resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians and one Israeli soldier on Friday.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum announced early on Saturday morning that the deal, brokered by Egyptian and UN officials, was active from midnight local time on Friday.
“We reached [an agreement] to return to the previous state of calm between the [Israeli] occupation and the Palestinian factions,” Barhoum said.
Israel has yet to confirm the agreement, but the army said in a statement on Saturday that communities near Gaza could return to normal activity, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz.
“At the end of an assessment by the southern command this morning it was decided to maintain a full civilian routine in the communities close to the Gaza Strip,” Haaretz quoted the statement as saying.
The deal comes after Israeli forces killed four Palestiniansin the Gaza Strip on Friday.
Israeli forces kill four Palestinians; Israeli soldier killed
Israeli soldiers fired live bullets and tear gas canisters towards Palestinian protesters gathered along the fence with Israel, killing 27-year-old Mohammad Sharif Badwan and wounding 120 others, according to health officials in Gaza. Hamas also said three of its members were killed earlier in the day after Israel launched large-scale attacks in the southern part of the enclave.
Israeli forces said the attacks came after one of its soldiers was hit by Palestinian gunmen.
