JERUSALEM
The Israeli government has rejected a request by the United Nations for a 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli paper reported Sunday.
Haaretz quoted an unnamed senior official as saying that Israel had rejected the "UN and Hamas proposal for a humanitarian pause in fighting in the Gaza Strip."
The Israeli government is yet to announce its official statement on the proposal.
Earlier in the day, Hamas said that Palestinian resistance factions had accepted a U.N. request for a 24-hour humanitarian truce.
Hamas and other Palestinian groups have already announced opposition to any calm agreement that does not entail the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the besieged Gaza and allowing displaced Gazans to return to their homes.
At least 1061 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since July 7 in what Israel describes as a military operation aimed at halting rocket fire from Gaza.
The offensive, dubbed operation "Protective Edge," is Israel's third major offensive against the densely-populate Gaza Strip – which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.
By Abdel-Raouf Arnaout
www.aa.com.tr/en
