Kerry ‘s ceasefire terms reported by ToI’s Avi Issacharoff

The ceasefire proposal being advanced by US Secretary of State John Kerry, which was being discussed by Israel and Hamas on Friday afternoon, provides for an immediate halt to hostilities to be followed 48 hours later by contacts between Israel, Palestinian and Egyptian delegations in Cairo, Arab sources tell The Times of Israel. The talks in Egypt would include discussion of Hamas’s call for the lifting of the so-called siege of the Gaza Strip, and other demands.

The ceasefire would take effect as soon as the sides tell Kerry that they accept the terms, and all military activity by the sides would halt immediately, the sources say.

On the Palestinian side, this provision is interpreted as also meaning that Israel’s activities to find and destroy Hamas’s cross-border tunnels would also immediately be halted. Israel has reportedly pushed for terms that would enable it to continue tackling the Hamas tunnels after a halt to hostilities.

Full story here.

— Avi Issacharoff