Israel and Hamas have agreed to a 72-hour cease-fire in their conflict in the Gaza Strip starting on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday.
Israeli criticism of Secretary of State John Kerry is “unwarranted,” the Israeli ambassador to Washington said, as U.S. officials made public their unhappiness with the attacks.
Behind the feud between John Kerry and Israel over the secretary of state’s efforts to broker a Gaza cease-fire is a larger tension concerning the role of Turkey and Qatar in Palestinian affairs.
President Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he wants an “immediate, unconditional humanitarian” cease-fire in the war with Gaza, based on a process Israel has made clear it opposes.
Hamas asked for an additional 24-hour humanitarian cease-fire, after Israel called off its own 24-hour unilateral cease-fire due to continued rockets fired from Gaza.
Israel extends Gaza cease-fire for another 24 hours.
Israel agrees to 12 hour cease-fire
Israel rejected U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s cease-fire proposal.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry pressed regional leaders to nail down a Gaza cease-fire on Friday as the civilian death toll soared, and further violence flared between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Three senators urged President Obama to ensure that Israel removes Hamas’ military threat before a cease-fire is in place.
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