Three leading Palestinian groups, Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and the Fatah movement, on Wednesday agreed to halt attacks on Israel for three months, Palestinians close to the negotiations said.
However, some confusion prevailed, when Hamas leaders in the Palestinian areas strenuously denied finalisation of the deal, negotiated by Marwan Barghouti of Fatah, Khaled Mashal of Hamas and Ramadan Shalah of the Islamic Jihad.
Fatah official Kadoura Fares told The Associated Press that after weeks of intensive negotiation, "the Palestinian dialogue has resulted in a cease-fire agreement for a period of three months." Another Palestinian source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a document outlining the truce terms had been signed by Mashal, Shalah, and Barghouti. The source said that an official announcement on a cease-fire would probably be made in coming days, possibly from Cairo.
The militant groups agree to a moratorium on attacks for three months, the source said; in exchange they demand Israel end targeted killings of militants and military incursions, and call for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel _ but do not set any deadline or timeframe for this. |
