Confusion reigns over militant ceasefire

Senior Palestinian officials said militant groups in the Gaza Strip agreed to stop firing missiles at Israel at midnight tonight (9pm Irish time), if Israel launches no new raids into Gaza.

But three main guerrilla groups denied that any agreement had been reached.

The Palestinian officials said the unilateral ceasefire is aimed at ending an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip that began on June 28, three days after militants raided an Israeli army post, killing two soldiers and capturing one, 19-year-old Corporal Gilad Shalit.

More than 100 Palestinians have been killed since then in daily attacks by Israeli warplanes, tanks and artillery in the offensive, and the militants have fired hundreds of homemade rockets at southern Israel.

The agreement was reached in Gaza City following meetings sponsored by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh aimed at finding a way out of the crisis in Gaza, the officials said.

Several Palestinian militant groups attended, including Haniyeh’s Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which have been blamed for many of the rocket attacks on southern Israel, the officials said on condition of anonymously because the agreement was reached at a closed meeting.

But two guerrilla groups said no agreement had been reached.

Abu Kosai, a spokesman for the Al Aqsa Brigades, said: “This report is baseless. We are going to continue launching our rockets toward the Zionist communities as long as the aggression continues. As long as the aggression exists, it’s our right to respond.”

He also said, “We made contacts with all our brothers who are working in the military field who knew nothing about this report and this agreement.”

Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad, said: “This is a completely false report. Resistance will continue because the aggression exists and rockets are one of the tools we use in this resistance.”

The Israeli Defence Forces said it had no immediate comment about the reported ceasefire.