Gunfire Erupts at Gaza-Egypt Border

Egypt brokers deal to stop escalating violence

(AP) - Gaza militants agreed to a cease-fire with Israel to stop spiking violence, a Hamas official said today, after a deadly attack across the Egyptian border on Israeli vehicles set off a three-day round of rapidly escalating Israeli airstrikes and rocket barrages from Gaza. The sudden flareup also threatened Israel-Egypt relations, after three Egyptian police were killed as the cross-border clash developed Thursday. Egypt complained strongly as thousands demonstrated in Cairo, and Israel apologized. More»

(NEWSER) - Hamas says its negotiators have a reached a deal with Israel for a long-term Gaza truce, Reuters reports. A senior leader said the truce ensures the opening of all commercial crossings and will be announced over the weekend. The Egyptian-brokered pact would replace a tentative truce put in place last month after a 22-day Israeli offensive left 1,300 Palestinians dead. Israel, in the midst of election chaos, had no official comment. More»

Israeli troops shoot it out with militants in suburbs as Egypt tries to broker ceasefire

(NEWSER) - Israeli troops are battling Hamas militants in the suburbs of Gaza City, filling residential streets with the chilling rat-a-tat-tat of machine gun fire, reports the BBC. Israeli forces have advanced deep into several neighborhoods, and air strikes hit 60 targets in Gaza overnight, including tunnels under the Egyptian border and the old Gaza city hall. Palestinian officials say the death toll has now hit 971, with some 40% of the victims women and childrens, according to the UN. More»

Egypt begins stopping Palestinians from entering

(NEWSER) - As Gaza air strikes raged on for a second day, Israel said it bombed more than 40 Palestinian supply tunnels used to transport weapons, BBC reports. Palestine said one tunnel intended to carry fuel from Egypt to Gaza had been destroyed. Fleeing the southern strip into Egypt, hundreds of Palestinians were forced back by Egyptian security forces who opened fire. More»

(NEWSER) - Egypt called Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip "murder" today as world leaders appealed for peace in the region, the AFP and Jerusalem Post report. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said he was "deeply alarmed" by the violence, and, like Russia and the European Union, called for a ceasefire. Egypt opened its border checkpoint to allow care for injured Gazans, whose numbers have topped 400. More»