Gaza conflict: Israel and Hamas agree to a 12-hour ceasefire

Zee Media Bureau/Kamna Arora & Himanshu Kapoor

Israel has agreed to a 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire in fighting with militants in the Gaza Strip to start at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Saturday, a military spokeswoman said. The spokeswoman said that during the brief truce, troops would keep searching for tunnels used by militants and that the military will "respond if terrorists choose to exploit this time to attack Israel Defense Forces personnel or fire at Israeli civilians."

After Israel rejected Kerry`s proposal to end Gaza conflict, The US Secretary of State entered new meetings late on Friday with UN chief Ban Ki-moon and Arab officials.

In a major setback to world leaders` efforts to end the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Israel`s security cabinet late on Friday rejected the Gaza ceasefire proposal put forward by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

An Israeli official was quoted as saying by Reuters that the security cabinet wanted changes to the agreement before ending the offensive.

Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip Thursday killed a top militant commander, two of his sons and a pregnant woman among others, taking the Palestinian toll to 828, as the 18-day conflict spread to the West Bank where largest anti-Israel protests in years turned violent.

A spokesman for the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qidra, confirmed the figures adding that over 5,240 people had also been injured in Israeli attacks since July 8.

Islamic Jihad senior leader Salah Hasanein and his sons, 12 and 15, were killed in the strike in the southern city of Rafah, Gaza emergency services officials said. Hasnin was the head of Islamic Jihad`s spokesman division in Rafah.

Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip Friday killed six persons, including a pregnant woman and two children, taking the Palestinian toll to 815, as the 18- day conflict threatens to spread to the West Bank after deaths of two youths in anti-Israel protests in north of Jerusalem.

A top leader of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, a Hamas ally, and his sons were also killed today in Israeli attacks, Gaza emergency services officials said.

Salah Hasanein and his sons, 12 and 15, were killed in the strike in the southern city of Rafah, they said.

Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas said it fired three rockets at Tel Aviv airport, a day after US and some European airlines had resumed flights after a two-day suspension. "At 11:45 am (0845 GMT), the Qassam Brigades bombarded Ben Gurion airport with three M75 rockets," a statement from Hamas`s armed wing said. Also Read: Hamas says it fired three rockets at Israel airport

Iranians rallied nationwide in a show of support for Palestinians as archfoe Israel pursued its deadly campaign against the Gaza Strip. "The Islamic world must in unison declare this day one of anger, hatred, unity and resistance against Israel," President Hassan Rouhani said at the Tehran demonstration. Also Read: Iran rallies for Gaza, Rouhani slams world `silence`

The Palestinian death toll from 18 days of violence has reached 815.

Israeli security forces are on heightened alert after a Palestinian man was shot dead during a huge protest in the West Bank against Israel`s military offensive in Gaza.

Palestinian factions in the West Bank have declared a "Day of Rage" after the Thursday night clashes, which took place around the West Bank and in some sectors of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. Also Read: Israel boosts security after deadly West Bank clashes

Israeli fire in Gaza killed a pregnant woman and a senior Islamic Jihad propagandist, taking the Palestinian death toll to 808, emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said on Friday.

Several major European carriers have announced that they will stick to their decision to suspend their flights to Israel despite the lifting of a flight ban by the European Aviation Safety Agency. Also Read: European airlines continue to suspend Israel flights

Jordan`s King Abdullah II has urged the international community to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza and stop Israel`s ongoing offensive on the coastal enclave. Also Read: Protect Palestinians in Gaza: Jordanian King

There were signs of renewed efforts for a Gaza ceasefire on Friday as the death toll continued to climb after Israel shelled a UN shelter killing 15 Palestinians. Also Read: Pressure for Gaza truce mounts after Israel shells UN refuge

Israel`s secretive security Cabinet is likely to meet on Friday to discuss truce proposals passed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by US Secretary of State John Kerry at a meeting in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, Israeli media said.

Israeli fire killed four people in Gaza on Friday, including a pregnant woman, bringing the total death toll to more than 800, Palestinian emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said. He said that an air strike on a house in the southern Gaza town of Deir-el-Balah killed a woman of 26 and another aged 23 who was pregnant, as Israel pressed on with its 18-day campaign to stamp out Gaza rocket fire.

An Israeli shell slammed into a UN facility sheltering displaced Gazans on Thursday, prompting UN chief Ban Ki-Moon to say he was "appalled" at the incident which "underscores the imperative for the killing to stop -- and to stop now". Also Read: Israel shells UN-run school in Gaza; Palestinian toll tops 770

American, Russian and some European carriers resumed flights to Israel on Thursday after a two-day freeze amid fears that rocket fire from Gaza was endangering commercial air traffic into Tel Aviv. Also Read: US airlines, others resume flights to Israel

Four hundred and eighty academics, lawyers, community activists and others criticised Canada`s government for taking a decisively pro-Israel position amid the current conflict in the Gaza Strip, saying it "discredits Canada”.