Israel, Hamas agree new truce starting on Friday: official

An Israeli official said on Thursday there is an agreement for a comprehensive Gaza ceasefire starting on Friday.
   
In Gaza, there was no immediate confirmation from Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups that they had agreed to halt 10 days of cross-border warfare.
   
"There is an agreement for a ceasefire beginning tomorrow.  I believe it is six in the morning (0300 GMT)," said the official, who asked not to be identified. The official said Israeli leaders approved a truce after a senior Israeli delegation held talks in Egypt.

Mortars fired at Israel during Gaza cease-fire: army

Israel's military says three mortar shells were fired from Gaza after a humanitarian cease-fire went into effect.
     
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld had earlier said two rockets fell in open areas in southern Israel, causing no damage or injuries. He said the rockets landed at 12 p.m. local time, two hours after the cease-fire began.
     
The army later said in a statement that the attack consisted of three mortar shells.
     
It was not immediately clear whether the Israeli military would respond. Israel and Hamas both agreed on a halt in fighting for a five-hour period Thursday to allow Gazans to stock up on supplies.
      
"We are holding our fire until 3:00 pm (1200 GMT) today in order to enable a humanitarian window in Gaza. If Hamas fires, we will respond with force," Israel's army said on its Twitter account.
      
Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri confirmed Gaza militants were sticking to the agreement.
      
"All the factions including Hamas are implementing what they announced, a stop to the operations of the resistance," he told...