Hamas reaction to declaration of 72 hour humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza

(1 Aug 2014) Hamas confirmed on Thursday night to have agreed to a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza to start on Friday morning for 72 hours. "We have all agreed to accept the humanitarian ceasefire agreement between the two sides. It starts on Friday at 8:00 a.m. local time (6:00 GMT), as long as the Israeli occupiers commit to it," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri. Zuhri added that a Palestinian delegation would travel to Cairo, where it is expected to hold talks with an Israeli delegation and the Egyptian government, aimed at reaching an end to the conflict. At least four short humanitarian cease-fires have been announced since the conflict began, but each has been broken by renewed fighting. A joint statement released simultaneously in New Delhi, where US Secretary of State John Kerry is travelling, and at United Nations headquarters in New York, said the US and UN had got assurances that all parties to the conflict had agreed to an unconditional cease-fire. An official at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed that Israel had agreed to a 72-hour truce beginning at 8 a.m. local time on Friday. Israeli and Palestinian delegations were expected to travel immediately to Cairo for talks with the Egyptian government aimed at reaching an end to the conflict. But Kerry cautioned there were no guarantees the lull in violence would bring an end to the 24-day-old Gaza war. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...