Palestinians agree to halt missile attacks on Israel

Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have agreed to end their recent rocket attacks on Israel, and Israel has agreed to stop its retaliatory air and artillery strikes, Palestinian officials said today.

The announcement appeared to set the stage for an end to the latest round of violence between the two sides, which erupted last week after Israel killed a top Islamic Jihad gunman and the group responded with a suicide bombing in central Israel. The Israeli army has carried out a series of artillery attacks and airstrikes in Gaza, while militants have fired rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel.

Palestinian Interior Ministry officials said the militants agreed to halt the rocket fire. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement later today. Palestinian factions, including the militant groups, were scheduled to meet this evening.

With the halt in rocket fire, Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to stop the latest hostilities, said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a top aide to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. He said the agreement had been reached following talks brokered by US negotiators.

An Israeli government official said “there appears to be an understanding” for both sides to halt the fighting, but said there was no official agreement in place. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the matter.

Captain Yael Hartmann, a spokeswoman for the Israeli military, said the military’s policy hasn’t changed, and that new orders would have to come from the government.