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.