Israel: 12-hour Gaza cease-fire to start Saturday
Smoke rises from a vehicle, destroyed by an Israeli strike, in Gaza City, early Saturday, July 26, 2014. Israel-Hamas fighting looked headed for escalation after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry failed Friday to broker a weeklong truce as first step toward a broader deal and Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon warned Israel might soon expand its Gaza ground operation “significantly.” (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
JERUSALEM— The Israeli military says a 12-hour humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza will start Saturday morning.
The military says in a statement that the lull will start at 8 a.m. local time Saturday and end at 8 p.m. local time. The statement warns that the military “shall respond if terrorists choose to exploit” the lull to attack Israeli troops “or fire at Israeli civilians.” It also says that “operational activities to locate and neutralize tunnels in the Gaza Strip will continue.”
A Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, said earlier Friday that the group had agreed to a 12-hour lull, starting at 8 a.m. local time Saturday.
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