Militants agree to three-month truce with Israel

ISLAMIC militant groups signed an agreement to halt attacks on Israelis for three months, a senior official of Yasser Arafat’s Fatah faction claimed last night — a possible breakthrough for the US-backed peace plan.

However, an official of the largest militant group, Hamas, said the deal was not final.

Shortly after word of the cease-fire, Israel sent helicopters to carry out an airstrike against what it said was a squad of Hamas militants preparing to carry out a rocket attack. Palestinian officials said a man and a woman were killed and 17 Palestinians were wounded.