NEW DELHI (AP) – Israel and Hamas have agreed to a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza to start Friday morning for 72 hours, although Secretary of State John Kerry cautioned that the lull in violence did not guarantee an end to the conflict.
“This is not a time for congratulations or joy or anything except a serious determination – a focus by everybody to try to figure out the road ahead,” Kerry said in New Delhi, where he was meeting with Indian officials. “This is a respite. It is a moment of opportunity, not an end.”
The U.S. and the United Nations announced the cease-fire in a joint statement.
Israeli and Palestinian delegations were expected to travel immediately to Cairo for talks with the Egyptian government aimed at reaching an end to the conflict, now more than three weeks old.
“It is up to the parties – all of them – to take advantage of this moment,” Kerry said. “There are no guarantees. This is a difficult, complicated issue.”