NEW DELHI (AFP) -- Israel and Hamas have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, US Secretary of State John Kerry said early Friday.
Kerry said that the two sides would begin the truce at 8:00 a.m. local time and that Israelis and Palestinians would enter talks in Cairo.
The top US diplomat said the ceasefire would last for 72 hours "unless extended."
"During this time the forces on the ground will remain in place," Kerry said.
"This ceasefire is critical to giving innocent civilians a much-needed reprieve from violence," Kerry said in a hastily arranged mid-morning statement on a visit to New Delhi.
Kerry said he was announcing the truce jointly with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who has also invested intense efforts in brokering an end to the bloody conflict. more
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