Israel and Hamas have commenced a 12-hour ceasefire, agreed upon hours after a press conference in Cairo. In a press conference held in Cairo Friday night with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, US Secretary of State John Kerry, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Arab League Secretariat Nabil el-Araby called for a seven day ceasefire in honour of Eid. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Egypt is making efforts with the United States, the United Nations and the Arab League, in order to stop the violence in the Gaza Strip, and to preserve the lives of innocent Palestinians. The Foreign Minister also added that the Rafah border has been opened permanently for travelers needing humanitarian aid. Friday night’s press conference called for a seven day humanitarian ceasefire between Palestine and Israel, after 18 days of fighting which oversaw the death of almost 850 Palestinians, the majority of which have been women and children. “At this moment, we are working towards seven days of peace,” said US Secretary of State John Kerry during a joint conference. This seven-day ceasefire is designed to aid both parties to come to terms with an agreement and,…
12 hour ceasefire commences between the Israelis and the Palestinians
July 25, 2014
