Rasa News Agency reports - “The heroic Palestinian people have forged a new era with the victory of the resistance which has brought the Zionist regime to its knees,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “This victory prepares the way for the final liberation of all the occupied lands especially Quds (Jerusalem),” it said, congratulating the Palestinian people and the resistance groups in Gaza.
Palestinians poured into the streets of the strip to celebrate as the Egyptian-brokered truce took effect at 1600 GMT. People and traffic filled the streets with drivers honking horns and crowds chanting slogans.
On Tuesday, Palestinian groups and Egyptian mediators confirmed that the Cairo-based talks ended in truce.
The truce stipulates the removal of Israeli blockade as well as the provision of a guarantee that Palestinian demands will be met. Crossings between Israel and Gaza will open and the two sides will continue holding indirect talks, according to the deal. The Palestinian territory's fishing zone will also be widened in the Mediterranean.
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said the deal marks a victory for Palestinians and called for mass rallies in the occupied West Bank. "Today we declare the victory of the resistance, today we declare the victory of Gaza," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said.
Some 2,139 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including women, children and the elderly, were killed in 50 days of the Israeli aggression on Gaza. UN figures show nearly 70 percent of the Palestinian victims were civilians.
Tel Aviv says 69 Israelis have been killed in the conflict, but Hamas puts the number at more than 150.
Sourse: Agencies