Palestinian Foreign Minister, Mahmoud Zahhar, said on Monday night that a cease-fire agreement between Hamas and Fateh has been reached. The two movements agreed to withdraw all gunmen from the streets, and to release all abductees. Mahmoud al-Zahar said: "A ceasefire will come into force at 3:00 am. All clashes must stop and armed men must withdraw immediately from the streets". He added that the two movements also agreed to stop all smear and incitement media campaigns.
In a press release in Gaza in the presence of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya, and Rawhi Fattouh, representing the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Egyptian delegates, Zahhar read the agreement that included the following points;
-Stopping all sorts of violence and clashes between Fateh and Hamas members.
-Releasing all abductees held by gunmen of both movements.
-Stopping incitement and all smear campaigns.
-Withdrawing all gunmen from the streets.
-Calling on the Joint Operations Security Committee to convene.
-Holding a meeting between the leaders of Fateh and Hamas to discuss a return to the negotiating table at a later time.
Meanwhile, Haniyya called on all factions to stop the violence and abide by the truce.
Munir Alja'ub, a spokesman of the Fatah youth, said that they (the Fatah youth) have welcomed the ceasefire that was agreed upon on Monday, have assured of their commitment to the agreement and declared their support Palestinian national unity.
The agreement includes handing over all members who are involved in killings to investigators, and preventing the violence from spreading to the West Bank.
Also, Zahhar stated that Fateh and Hamas agreed to meet in order to discuss the remaining issues in preparation to resume the broad national meeting over the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government.
Haniyya’s office also issued an immediate statement urging a complete halt of all clashes.
The office issued the appeal several minutes before Abbas’s special representative Rawhi Fattouh arrived for a meeting with the Prime Minister.
At least 32 Palestinians were killed and more than one hundred were injured during the clashes which occured during the past five days up until monday night.Civilians and bystanders were among the casualties.
On Monday night, two residents were injured after gunmen shelled a police station in Gaza city.
Also on Monday at night, the Al Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of Fateh, said that its fighters abducted a Hamas member, and released three others it abducted earlier in Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank.
