国际英语新闻:Fragile Israeli-Gaza Cease-Fire Begins
GAZA CITY — A cease-fire in Israel-Gaza hostilities brokered by Egypt went into effect Wednesday night, but not before last-minute exchanges of volleys between Israeli forces and Hamas militants who run the Palestinian enclave.
Gazans poured into streets after the cease-fire began and celebratory gunfire was heard. After days on near non-stop barrages, the Israeli aerial assaults appeared to have stopped. Mosques blared messages welcoming the truce and praising the "resistance."
An Israeli drone was heard overhead in the minutes after the cease-fire began. Israeli media reported some incoming rocket fire towards southern Israel in the first hour of the cease-fire.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr made the truce announcement in Cairo with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at his side, less than two hours before the 9 p.m. local time deadline for the cease-fire to begin.
Terms of the cease-fire include both sides stopping hostilities and the opening of border areas from Gaza for the movement of goods and people. There will be a 24-hour period for implementation of the cease-fire. Egypt shall watch for violations on both sides.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr made the announcement in Cairo with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at his side.
Clinton said she looked ahead to a more lasting solution.
"Ultimately, every step must move us toward a comprehensive peace for all the people of the region," she said.
The biggest immediate concern, though, was whether a truce will hold in the coming hours and days.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Clinton and U.S. President Barack Obama for their efforts and said Israel would pursue a lasting, sustainable cease-fire. But he also reiterated that Israel would do what it must to defend its people.
Egypt, with its Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and a peace treaty with Israel, has been well positioned to lead efforts to broker a Gaza deal and has been working with regional and international figures, including U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, to bring it about.
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