On the 26th, representatives of the militant group Hamas have officially announced through the Egyptian government that they will agree upon a long term armistice agreement with Israel to out an end to the violence and the deaths in Palestine. Although the more specific details regarding the conditions for the truce are still under discussion, AP reported that this might finally end the 50 years of conflict in Gaza.
So far, around 2100 Palestinians are reported to have died during the conflict, most of them civilians. At least 1,100 more Palestinians are believed to have been wounded with many more that have been forced to leave their homes to seek refuge at facilities run by the United Nations.
A high ranking leader of Hamas told the world that the militants have agreed with the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) to stop incorporating violence and the use of rockets and other lethal weapons. He added that Israel has agreed to supply Gaza with supplies and assist in reconstructing their major cities that have been destroyed by Israeli rocket fire. In previous attempts to settle the conflict in Palestine, Hamas has constantly requested that the Israeli government lift economic sanctions from Gaza, and it is believed that Israel will comply to this request at least partially.
In 2007, Israel had started economic sanctions against Gaza after occupying the territory. This led to serious economic problems, causing unemployment rate to rise to 50 percent. As a result the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza are forced to live in extreme poverty.
As of now, Hamas is waiting for the Egyptian government, who supervised the negotiations between the two parties to announce an official date for the armistice to take effect. However, as of now it is reported that Israel has not yet sent their official opinions on this matter.
Meanwhile, 4 Israeli citizens and 64 soldiers have fallen to Hamas rocket fire.
