Israel agrees to 72-hour ceasefire

An Israeli diplomatic source says Israel has agreed to a 72-hour Egyptian ceasefire offer beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday. Israel insisted that the ceasefire, based on an Egyptian proposal, be without any preconditions.

According to the source, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was waiting until all Hamas tunnels were destroyed before agreeing to the truce, which can be extended. Earlier in the day, IDF officials said they were destroying the last tunnel.

The decision was made by Netanyahu, who notified the members of the security cabinet, the source said.

An Israeli delegation is heading to Cairo in order to finalize the agreement and kick off talks for a long-term deal.

An Israeli official stresses that the army will respond forcefully if the ceasefire is broken. As long as the ceasefire is holding, there is no need for an IDF presence in Gaza, the source says.

Earlier, Egyptian officials said Hamas and other Palestinian factions agreed to the ceasefire.

— Raphael Ahren