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Palestinian officials have said that they have reached an agreement with their Israeli counterparts in a “permanent” peace in Gaza, a source close to the delegation said on Tuesday, in an advance which Hamas has hailed as a “victory”. However, there was no immediate comment from the Israeli officials on the alleged deal to end the seven weeks of violent conflict in and around the Palestinian enclave.
Reportedly, the Palestinian official did not give a time for when the new ceasefire will take effect but said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will give more details in a speech he’ll make from his headquarters in the West Bank at 16:00 GMT.
According to the source, the communications that have been ongoing between all parties have led to the permanent ceasefire, a deal which will end the blockade and guarantee that Hamas’ needs and demands will be met. The Hamas movement, the de facto ruler of the Gaza Strip after it was elected in the Palestinian enclave in 2006 and the party of President Abbas’ efforts to agree to a truce, also said that a deal has been struck with Israel.
On his Facebook page, Hamas’ exiled deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzuk said, “The negotiations ended with an agreement which embodies the resistance of our people and a victory for the resistance”.
According to sources, the truce deal was finalized after two days of all-out shuttle diplomacy by head of the Palestinian delegationAzzam al-Ahmed after long protracted and on-off truce talks. The source added that during the past 48 hours, Ahmed has been shuttling to and fro between the leadership of Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Egyptian leaders and all factions involved, travelling between Ramallah, Doha and Gaza.
In Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, said that Egypt was expected to make the official announcement of a permanent deal.
