Palestine joy as Israel agree truce with Gaza

Hamas and Israel agree long -term deal which
will ease Israeli blockade of enclave after talks
brokered by Egypt .
Thousands of Palestinians are celebrating in
Gaza after Israel and Palestinian groups agreed
an open- ended ceasefire to end seven weeks of
fighting in Gaza .
The Palestinian president , Mahmoud Abbas , said
on Tuesday from the occupied West Bank that a
formula had been accepted by all parties and
that a ceasefire had gone into effect at 16. 00
GMT.
He hailed the agreement as a chance to "build a
new nation and end the occupation ", before
thanking Egypt , Qatar and the US for their roles
in brokering the agreement made during indirect
talks in Cairo .
The Reuters and AP news agencies quoted Israeli
officials as saying that the Israeli government
had accepted the deal . Israeli media reported
the same .
Hamas 's exiled deputy leader , Moussa Abu
Marzouk, said the agreement was a "victory for
the resistance ".
Crowds took to the bombed -out streets of Gaza
to celebrate the end of hostilities . Many used the
v- sign to signify Palestinian victory over Israel .
Al Jazeera 's Andrew Simmons , reporting Gaza ,
said that the deal agreed an immediate easing
of Israel 's blockage of crossings into Gaza , and
a gradual lifting of restrictions on fishing off
the coast of the strip .
"The embargo will be lifted and the five border
posts will see considerable changes, with the
Rafah border crossing opening , " he said in
reference to the crossing between Egypt and
Gaza .
Discussions on the creation of a seaport and
airport will take place in a month, when indirect
talks betwen Israel and Palestinians will resume.
Ofir Gendelman, the Israeli prime minister 's
spokesman for the Arab world , said operations in
Gaza were a victory for Israel . "Hamas gave in
and accepted the same Egyptian proposal for a
ceasefire it rejected until now . The reason for
the change .. . airstrikes , " he said .
Raids end
Israeli air raids continued in the run up to the
ceasefire on Tuesday , as jets attacked two Gaza
City high -rise buildings , collapsing one and
severely damaging the other.
One attack levelled the 15 -storey Basha tower
and severely damaged a 13 -storey building
known as the Italian complex , which was home to
70 families and dozens of shops and offices .
Palestinian health officials said 20 people were
wounded in the Italian complex attack .
In Israel , one civilian was killed and two others
seriously wounded by a mortar round fired from
Gaza hit a kibbutz in the Eshkol regional council
area.
A total of 2 , 142 people , most of them civilians
including more than 490 children, have been
killed in Gaza since war broke out on July 8 . A
totoal of 69 people have been killed on the
Israeli side , nearly all of them soldiers .