A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas meant to last >at least three days has taken effect in the Gaza Strip.
The truce was agreed to by both sides in the month-long war. It started at 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Tuesday.
During the 72-hour truce, Israel and Hamas are to hold indirect talks in Cairo on a broader deal that would prevent future cross-border violence.
Previous international attempts to broker a temporary halt in the fighting failed.
The Israeli military says all >its ground troops will have pulled out of Gaza by the start of the new ceasefire.
From 8:00 AM today we will implement a 72-hour cease-fire. During this time, we will maintain defensive positions near the Gaza border.
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) >August 5, 2014A delegation of Palestinian officials from various factions, including Hamas, has been negotiating with Egypt in recent days. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the group had accepted the plan.
The war has claimed nearly 1,900 Palestinian lives most of them civilians. The war has also left 67 Israelis dead, all but three of them soldiers.
