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JERUSALEM Israel accepted Egypts proposal for a cessation of hostilities with

Hamas and other militant Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning,
but a fresh barrage of rockets from Gaza into southern Israel has left the fate of the
cease-fire unclear.
The Israeli announcement came via text message and without comment after Israels top
ministers, known as its security cabinet, met early Tuesday.
In accordance with the government directives, the I.D.F. now holds fire, Lt. Col. Peter
Lerner, a military spokesman, said in a statement nearly two hours after the
announcement, using the abbreviation for the Israel Defense Forces. We remain alert
and preserve high preparedness levels, both defensive and offensive. If the Hamas terror
organization will fire at Israel, we shall respond.

More than two hours after Israels announcement, a fresh barrage of rockets flew from
Gaza into southern Israel; one hit a home in the city of Ashdod, causing damage but no
injuries, according to a military statement. From 9 a.m. to noon, Israel counted 22
rockets from Gaza, four of which were intercepted by Israels Iron Dome missile
defense system.
Hamas leaders in Gaza were not answering their mobile phones on Tuesday in the hour
after Israels announcement. Earlier on Tuesday morning, the groups armed wing,
Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, totally and completely rejected the Egyptian initiative
in a statement emailed to journalists.
If the published text of this initiative is correct, we only say that this is an initiative of
subordination and submission, the statement said. For us, this initiative isnt worth the
ink used for typing it.
The website of Al Resalah, a Gaza-based news organization affiliated with Hamas, on
Tuesday quoted Lebanese-based Hamas officials responding to the Israeli move. The
occupation must accept the conditions and demands of the resistance, Osama Hamdan,
Hamass director of foreign affairs, was quoted as saying by Al Resalah, referring to the
opening of border crossings and the release of former Palestinian prisoners rearrested in
the West Bank in recent weeks. Hamas refuses any blackmailing or submission to
conditions degrading the rights of resistance, Mr. Hamdan was quoted as saying.
A representative of Islamic Jihad, another militant Gaza group, described Israels move
as meaningless and unserious, according to Al Resalah.

Although several top Israeli ministers had criticized the idea of a cease-fire, saying that
not enough damage had yet been inflicted on Hamass infrastructure and weapons
cache, analysts saw little downside for Israel in accepting the Egyptian outline. The
cease-fire will either lead to a genuine calm that benefits both sides or, if Hamas rejects
the terms, provide Israel with more international legitimacy to continue the conflict.
If Hamas looks at the cards it has been dealt and they are very weak cards indeed
resuming military operations against Israel is not a good hand to play, Michael B.
Oren, Israels former ambassador to the United States, told reporters on Tuesday in a
conference call organized by The Israel Project, an advocacy group. Now that Israel
has accepted the cease-fire and has offered to go into further negotiations, Mr. Oren
said, if Hamas reopens fire, Israels justification for responding in a very robust way is
greatly reinforced.
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The Egyptian proposal calls for Israelis and representatives of the militant Palestinian
factions to meet in Cairo within 48 hours to negotiate terms for a longer-term truce. The
initial cease-fire calls for border crossings into Gaza to be opened and for the
movement of people and goods to be facilitated once the security situation becomes
stable on the ground.
Overnight, The Israeli military said it had bombed 25 sites in Gaza.
A spokesman for Gazas Health Ministry said five people had been killed in Israeli
airstrikes on Rafah and Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, bringing the total number of
Palestinians killed since the operation began on Monday to 185; about 1,400 others
have been wounded.
Ashraf al-Qedra, the Health Ministry spokesman, and local journalists said that Ismail
and Mohammed Najjar, relatives in their 40s who worked as guards on agricultural land
in a former Israeli settlement in Khan Younis, were killed early Tuesday. In Rafah,
drone strikes killed Atwa al-Amour, a 63-year-old farmer, and Bushra Zourob, 53, who
was near the target, a man on a motorbike, who was wounded.
The Israeli military said two people were lightly injured by a rocket that fell in the
southern Israeli resort city of Eilat early Tuesday. No Israelis have been killed during
the current escalation.
A military spokeswoman said Tuesday morning that Israel had hit 1,609 targets in Gaza
during the eight-day operation, and counted 1,090 rockets fired into Israel, 193 of which
had been intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.
Although there was speculation that Secretary of State John Kerry of the United States
would fly to Cairo to facilitate the discussions, he is expected instead to head back to
Washington on Tuesday afternoon from Vienna, where he was trying to iron out a deal
on Irans nuclear program. Mr. Kerry is expected to brief reporters before leaving
Vienna.

Haaretz, an Israeli daily, reported that Israels foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, and
the economy minister, Naftali Bennett, both of whom have opposed a cease-fire with
Hamas until Israeli forces inflict significantly more damage, voted against the pact in
Tuesday mornings meeting. The right-wing housing minister, Uri Ariel who is not a
member of the security cabinet called the decision a strategic mistake akin to
building a train without paving the last kilometer, Haaretz reported.
Isaac Herzog, the head of the Israeli Labor Party and leader of the opposition in
Parliament, said: If the cease-fire doesnt lead to forward movement in the peace
process it is useless.