Israel confirms ceasefire but not its timing

A Palestinian man looks at a destroyed building in Gaza City, following a series of Israeli airstrikes on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip early on May 12, 2021. © Mohammed Abed, AFP

The Israeli cabinet has confirmed the decision to approve a ceasefire but its statement says the time for it to come into effect has not yet been agreed.

The statement says the truce was proposed by Egypt and will be “mutual and unconditional”.

Earlier a Hamas official said it was due to start at 02:00 local time (23:00 GMT).

Here is the full statement from the Israeli security cabinet confirming the ceasefire decision:

“The Security Cabinet convened tonight.

“The Political Security Cabinet unanimously accepted the recommendation of all security officials, the chief of staff, the head of the Shin Bet [internal security agency], the head of the Mossad [foreign intelligence] and the head of the National Security Council, to accept the Egyptian initiative for a bilateral unconditional ceasefire, which will take effect at a later date.

“The chief of staff, the military echelon and the head of the GSS reviewed before the ministers Israel’s great achievements in the campaign, some of which were unprecedented.

“The political echelon emphasizes that the reality on the ground will determine the continuation of the campaign.”