AP, Jerusalem, 4 August 2014 — Israel and Hamas on Monday accepted an Egyptian cease-fire proposal meant to halt a bruising month-long war that has claimed nearly 2, 000 lives, raising hopes that the bloodiest round of fighting between the bitter enemies could finally be coming to an end.
After weeks of behind-the-scenes diplomacy, and a previous truce that collapsed within hours on Friday, Israel and Hamas both announced late Monday that they had accepted the proposal for a preliminary 72-hour cease-fire, beginning at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) Tuesday . Egypt was then set to host indirect talks to work out a long-term truce over the next three days.