Palestinians announce Gaza ceasefire

Gaza, Nov 26: Palestinian militants will cease rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip today, President Mahmoud Abbas told Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in a telephone call, an Abbas aide said.

Israel welcomed the move and promised to end its military operations in the Gaza Strip if the Palestinian violence stopped.

''President Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh agreed with all factions and resistance groups on calm, including the stopping of rocket fire, starting from 6 a.m. on Sunday,'' Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said yesterday.

He said Olmert, informed of the development by Abbas ''agreed that Israel will stop operations and begin the withdrawal from Gaza at the same time''.

In Jerusalem, an Olmert spokeswoman said ''Abbas told the prime minister that all the Palestinian factions are committed to the agreement.

''Abbas asked in response that Israel stop all military operations in the Gaza Strip and withdraw all the forces,'' she said. ''The prime minister ... told Abbas that Israel would respond favourably as Israel was operating in the Gaza Strip in response to the violence. With the end of violence, Israel would be happy to withdraw its troops.'' Palestinian militants have been firing rockets into southern Israel daily in what they term a response to Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.

Israel withdrew troops and settlers from the territory last year but resumed ground operations in June after militants from Gaza tunnelled across the border and seized an Israeli soldier, who is still being held.

Several militant groups met earlier in the day with Haniyeh, a leader of the governing Hamas group, and agreed to halt attacks from Gaza if Israel ceased its military activities there.

Reuters