UPDATE: Israel denies this.
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…which would give Hamas time to gather strength. “Gaza crisis: Israel, Gaza militants may agree to ceasefire: Hamas official,” from the Toronto Star, November 20:
There are conflicting reports if Israel and Gaza militants have indeed reached a ceasefire agreement.
A senior Hamas official says there is no ceasefire deal with Israel but agreement is close, according to reports from The Associated Press.
However, a report from Reuters says Israel and militants from the Gaza Strip have agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that will come into force at midnight local time, Hamas official Ayman Taha said, speaking to Reuters from Cairo.
“An agreement for calm has been reached. It will be declared at 9.00 p.m. and go into effect at midnight,” Taha said.
Earlier in the day, residents of Jerusalem ran for cover when Palestinians fired a rocket toward the holy city for the second time since the fighting started last Wednesday. The rocket, which set off sirens in the city, landed harmlessly in an open area on the outskirts in one of the longest rocket strikes fired from the Gaza.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the rocket landed in Gush Etzion, a collection of Jewish West Bank settlements southeast of the city. Last Friday”s attempt to hit Jerusalem, nearly 80 kilometres from Gaza, landed in the same area. No one was wounded in either attack….