GAZA/JERUSALEM: Israel and Hamas will cease fire across the Gaza Strip border as of Friday, the United States said, bringing a potentially tenuous halt to the fiercest fighting in years.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said his security cabinet had voted unanimously in favour of a "mutual and unconditional" Gaza truce proposed by Egypt, but added that the hour of implementation had yet to be agreed.
Hamas and Egypt said the truce would begin at 2 a.m. (2300 GMT Thursday), after 11 days of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities.
In a televised address at 2200 GMT, U.S. President Joe Biden said both sides agreed the truce would begin "in less than two hours".
The sides traded blows again in the countdown.
Sirens warned of incoming rockets in Israeli border communities, and a Reuters reporter heard an air strike in Gaza. A man in his 50s was lightly hurt in a direct hit on an Israeli factory, medics said.
Amid growing global alarm at the bloodshed, Biden had urged Netanyahu to seek de-escalation, while Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations sought to mediate.
Extending condolences to bereaved Israelis and Palestinians, Biden said Washington would work with the United Nations "and other international stakeholders to provide rapid humanitarian assistance" for the reconstruction of Hamas-controlled Gaza.
He said aid would be coordinated with the Palestinian Authority - run by Hamas' rival, President Mahmoud Abbas, and based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank - "in a manner that does not permit Hamas to simply restock its military arsenal".
The United States was also committed to replenishing Iron Dome interceptors that helped Israel fend off the more than 4,300 rockets fired at it from Gaza during the this month's conflict.
Hamas said the ceasefire would be "mutual and simultaneous".
“The Palestinian resistance will abide by this agreement as long as the Occupation (Israel) does the same,” Taher Al-Nono, media adviser to Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, told Reuters.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had ordered two security delegations into Israel and the Palestinian Territories to work towards upholding the ceasefire, Egyptian state TV reported.
In a televised speech Abu Ubaida, spokesman of the Hamas armed wing, said: "With the help of God, we were able to humiliate the enemy, its fragile entity and its savage army."
He threatened Hamas rocket fire that would reach throughout Israel if it violated the truce or struck Gaza before the hour of implementation.
Rocket attacks by Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad had resumed after an eight-hour pause earlier on Thursday, as Israel pursued shelling that it said aimed to destroy the factions' military capabilities and deter them from future confrontations after the current conflict.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said on Twitter that the Gaza offensive had yielded "unprecedented military gains".
Speaking to his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin, Gantz said Israel's defence establishment would "continue to work closely and in full cooperation with the Pentagon and the U.S. administration to stabilise the region," Gantz's office said.
Since the fighting began on May 10, health officials in Gaza said 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, had been killed and more than 1,900 wounded in aerial bombardments. Israel said it had killed at least 160 combatants in Gaza.
Authorities put the death toll in Israel at 12, with hundreds of people treated for injuries in rocket attacks that caused panic and sent people rushing into shelters.
The violence was triggered by Palestinian anger at what they viewed as Israeli curbs on their rights in Jerusalem, including during police confrontations with protesters at Al-Aqsa mosque.
Hamas previously demanded that any halt to the Gaza fighting be accompanied by Israeli drawdowns in Jerusalem. An Israeli official told Reuters there was no such condition in the truce.
"The only way there'll be a Hamas-Jerusalem linkage is if they agree to us drowning them on 'Jerusalem Beach' in Tel Aviv," security cabinet minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Israel's top-rated Channel 12 TV earlier on Thursday.
The United Nations said its Middle East envoy, Tor Wennesland, was in Qatar on Thursday as part of truce efforts.
Astro Awani
Fri May 21 2021
![Israel and Hamas agree Gaza truce, Biden pledges assistance Israel and Hamas agree Gaza truce, Biden pledges assistance](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-05/61621560401_GAZA.jpg)
Debris fly as smoke rises following an Israeli air strike, amid Israeli-Palestinian fighting, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, May 20, 2021. REUTERSpic
![Pertubuhan kebajikan New Zealand mohon maaf edar gula-gula bercampur dadah Methamphetamine Pertubuhan kebajikan New Zealand mohon maaf edar gula-gula bercampur dadah Methamphetamine](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/41723674988_pineapplesweetsme.jpg)
Pertubuhan kebajikan New Zealand mohon maaf edar gula-gula bercampur dadah Methamphetamine
Auckland City Mission secara tidak sengaja telah mengagihkan gula-gula bercampur Methamphetamine yang boleh membawa maut melalui pek makanan.
Pesakit buah pinggang di Gaza hadapi kekurangan mesin dialisis
Pesakit buah pinggang di Gaza menghadapi kekurangan peralatan dialisis dan bekalan perubatan yang teruk di Khan Younis.
Kekejaman zionis: Hamas hilang kepercayaan A.S jadi pengantara gencatan senjata
Hamas hilang kepercayaan terhadap keupayaan Amerika Syarikat untuk menjadi pengantara gencatan senjata di Gaza.
Kekejaman zionis: Hamas tidak ambil bahagian rundingan gencatan senjata baharu
Hamas tidak akan mengambil bahagian dalam pusingan baharu rundingan gencatan senjata Gaza yang dijadualkan di Qatar, pada Khamis.
Malaysia kecam pencerobohan Israel ke atas Masjid Al-Aqsa
Wisma Putra dalam satu kenyataan pada Rabu berkata perbuatan keji ini yang dilakukan di bawah perlindungan pasukan keselamatan Israel, merupakan pencerobohan serius terhadap satu daripada tapak paling suci Islam.
![WHO isytihar mpox sebagai kecemasan kesihatan awam global WHO isytihar mpox sebagai kecemasan kesihatan awam global](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/41723675747_Mpoxvirus.jpg)
WHO isytihar mpox sebagai kecemasan kesihatan awam global
Ini merupakan pengisytiharan kali kedua dalam tempoh dua tahun berikutan wabak yang bermula di Congo sudah merebak ke negara jiran.
![Turkiye akan terus tingkatkan tekanan ke atas Israel - Presiden Erdogan Turkiye akan terus tingkatkan tekanan ke atas Israel - Presiden Erdogan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/81723674774_TayyipEMahmoudAbbas.jpg)
Turkiye akan terus tingkatkan tekanan ke atas Israel - Presiden Erdogan
Erdogan maklumkan kepada Presiden Mahmoud Abbas, Turkiye akan terus sokong perjuangan Palestin.
![Bekas pemimpin Bangladesh, Hasina didakwa lakukan genosid Bekas pemimpin Bangladesh, Hasina didakwa lakukan genosid](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2016-07/71467442821_SheikhHasina.jpg)
Bekas pemimpin Bangladesh, Hasina didakwa lakukan genosid
Sheikh Hasina didakwa melakukan "genosid dan jenayah terhadap kemanusiaan" semasa beberapa minggu protes ganas yang mengakibatkan ratusan orang terbunuh.
![Fadillah tiba di Peru untuk hadiri mesyuarat menteri-menteri tenaga APEC 2024 Fadillah tiba di Peru untuk hadiri mesyuarat menteri-menteri tenaga APEC 2024](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/51723674456_FadillahYusof.jpg)
Fadillah tiba di Peru untuk hadiri mesyuarat menteri-menteri tenaga APEC 2024
Timbalan Perdana Menteri Fadillah akan mengetengahkan pendirian Malaysia dalam melaksanakan usaha peralihan tenaga negara.
![Lawatan PM Anwar ke India dijangka kukuhkan hubungan ekonomi - Ramanan Lawatan PM Anwar ke India dijangka kukuhkan hubungan ekonomi - Ramanan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721630406_TBAnwarIbrahim.jpg)
Lawatan PM Anwar ke India dijangka kukuhkan hubungan ekonomi - Ramanan
Perdana Menteri Anwar dijadualkan membuat lawatan rasmi pertama ke India dari 19 hingga 20 Ogos.
![Hamas seru mesyuarat tergempar Liga Arab, OIC bagi hentikan genosid di Gaza Hamas seru mesyuarat tergempar Liga Arab, OIC bagi hentikan genosid di Gaza](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61722085798_Destroyedbuildings.jpg)
Hamas seru mesyuarat tergempar Liga Arab, OIC bagi hentikan genosid di Gaza
Hamas menekankan keperluan untuk membuat keputusan yang berkesan bagi menghentikan serangan dan genosid terhadap rakyat di Semenanjung Gaza serta memutuskan sebarang hubungan dengan zionis.
![Hamas tuntut penerimaan cadangan gencatan senjata Gaza yang disokong Biden Hamas tuntut penerimaan cadangan gencatan senjata Gaza yang disokong Biden](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/71723445354_Palestinians.jpg)
Hamas tuntut penerimaan cadangan gencatan senjata Gaza yang disokong Biden
Kumpulan Palestin Hamas menuntut pengantara gencatan senjata Gaza membentangkan rancangan untuk melaksanakan cadangan yang disokong Biden.
![Pemimpin Hamas terbunuh dalam serangan udara Israel Pemimpin Hamas terbunuh dalam serangan udara Israel](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/61723248290_SamerAlHajj.jpg)
Pemimpin Hamas terbunuh dalam serangan udara Israel
Samer dilaporkan sedang bertugas di di kem pelarian Palestin berhampiran Ain Al-Hilweh.
![Mesir arah syarikat penerbangan elak ruang udara Iran Mesir arah syarikat penerbangan elak ruang udara Iran](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/61723068590_tbEgyptAirplane.jpg)
Mesir arah syarikat penerbangan elak ruang udara Iran
Menurut notis keselamatan yang diberikan kepada juruterbang pada Rabu, arahan itu akan berkuat kuasa dari jam 1 hingga 4 pagi waktu tempatan.
![Yahya Sinwar dipilih ketua politik Hamas yang baharu Yahya Sinwar dipilih ketua politik Hamas yang baharu](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/61722989634_YahyaSinwar.jpg)
Yahya Sinwar dipilih ketua politik Hamas yang baharu
Yahya merupakan arkitek serangan ke atas Israel sejak beberapa dekad lalu.
![PM Srettha, kerajaan Thailand pantau rapat krisis Asia Barat PM Srettha, kerajaan Thailand pantau rapat krisis Asia Barat](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-11/41701068554_TBPMSretthaMon.jpg)
PM Srettha, kerajaan Thailand pantau rapat krisis Asia Barat
Kerajaan Thailand sedang memantau rapat perkembangan yang berlaku di Asia Barat dan bersedia untuk memberikan bantuan segera kepada rakyat negara itu sekiranya berlaku kecemasan.
![Iran ada hak hukum Israel atas pembunuhan Ismail Haniyeh - Nasser Iran ada hak hukum Israel atas pembunuhan Ismail Haniyeh - Nasser](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/61722908982_NasserKanani.jpg)
Iran ada hak hukum Israel atas pembunuhan Ismail Haniyeh - Nasser
Tiada siapa yang berhak meragui hak undang-undang Iran untuk menghukum rejim Zionis.
![DUN Negeri Sembilan lulus usul khas kecam pembunuhan Ismail Haniyeh DUN Negeri Sembilan lulus usul khas kecam pembunuhan Ismail Haniyeh](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-05/61715250076_TBAminuddinHarun.jpg)
DUN Negeri Sembilan lulus usul khas kecam pembunuhan Ismail Haniyeh
Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Negeri Sembilan hari ini sebulat suara meluluskan usul khas mengutuk sekeras-kerasnya pembunuhan kejam Ketua Biro Politik Hamas Ismail Haniyeh pada 31 Julai lepas.
![Turkiye, Itali keluar nasihat perjalanan ketika ketegangan memuncak di Lubnan Turkiye, Itali keluar nasihat perjalanan ketika ketegangan memuncak di Lubnan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/71722825037_IsraelLebanonWar.jpg)
Turkiye, Itali keluar nasihat perjalanan ketika ketegangan memuncak di Lubnan
Turkiye dan Itali pada Ahad telah mengeluarkan nasihat perjalanan kepada rakyat mereka di Lubnan atau yang merancang ke negara itu.
![Hamas mula proses pilih Ketua Biro Politik baharu ganti Ismail Haniyeh Hamas mula proses pilih Ketua Biro Politik baharu ganti Ismail Haniyeh](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81722417448_IsmailHaniyeh.jpg)
Hamas mula proses pilih Ketua Biro Politik baharu ganti Ismail Haniyeh
Pergerakan itu telah memulakan proses perundingan yang luas dalam kalangan kepimpinan dan institusi penasihatnya.