Abbas to Olmert: Ceasefire as of 6 a.m.
Representatives of armed Palestinian groups agree to halt Qassam fire into Israel as of Sunday morning during talks with Prime Minister Haniyeh. President Abbas later speaks with Prime Minister Olmert to inform him of decision. Olmert says that Israel will cease operations in Gaza if Palestinians abide by truce
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Saturday evening and informed him that as of 6 a.m. Sunday morning, the Palestinian armed factions will cease firing Qassam rockets at Israel.
Olmert has accepted the ceasefire proposal and said that if the Palestinians abide by the truce, Israel will halt military operations in Gaza.
The spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees in the Gaza Strip, Mohammad Abdelal, told Ynet earlier that Palestinian armed groups that are not affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization agreed on Saturday to halt Qassam fire into Israel as of Sunday morning .
The group agreed that the ceasefire will go into effect at 6 am on Sunday.
Abdelal told Ynet that the ceasefire is aimed at forcing Israel to stop its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Should Israel fail to stop military incursions into Gaza, the groups would meet to decide whether to renew Qassam attacks.
Qassam fire continues
Last week, Hamas and Islamic Jihad informed PM Haniyeh about their willingness to stop Qassam fire into Israel if the latter halts its military operations against gunmen in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian political sources told Ynet on Saturday that Israel will respond positively to the initiative, which they say is aimed at paving the way for talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas's political leader Khaled Mashaal said Saturday that should the political stalemate between Israel and the Palestinian Authority persist, he will declare a third intifada.
Meanwhile Qassam attacks against Israeli towns in the western Negev continued on Saturday. A Qassam rocket fired by gunmen from the northern Gaza Strip landed in greenhouses in Netiv Hasara on Saturday evening.
Hours later two rockets landed in open fields in the western Negev. No one was injured and no damage was reported.
Two rockets fired into Israel Saturday afternoon landed in open fields in the Eshkol community.
