Truce deal said to include provisions for opening crossings

The ceasefire Israel and the Palestinian factions are reportedly on the verge of signing in Cairo will also include provisions for the opening of the crossings out of and into the Gaza Strip.

Ynet reports that the crossings will be opened under the supervision of Palestinian Authority security forces.

Sources in the Palestinian Authority say the truce will be announced by Cairo and Ramallah at 7 p.m. this evening. While Hamas’s spokesman in Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri, says the Islamist movement “is now awaiting the official announcement of Cairo,” no Israeli official has confirmed any agreement.

The agreement will provide a framework for a permanent ceasefire, as well as lifting the blockade on the Gaza Strip — a condition the Palestinian factions in Cairo have insisted upon.

— AFP and Times of Israel staff