Egypt helps broker ceasefire in Gaza to start early Friday -state TV

Egyptian efforts have resulted in a ceasefire agreement between Israelis and Palestinians after 11 days of fighting, Egyptian state TV reported on Thursday.

A ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was due to come into effect at 02:00 local time (2300 GMT), and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered the dispatch of security delegations to Israel and the Palestinian territories to uphold the deal, state TV reported. The announcement came after intensive mediation to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas, with Egypt playing a central role due to its contact with both sides.

An Egyptian security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Hamas had pledged to comply with the truce if Israel ceased fire, and said consultations would begin after the implementation of the truce. Sisi spoke to both U.S. President Joe Biden and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday evening, Egypt's presidency said.

As well as de-escalation and a ceasefire, Sisi and Guterres discussed the importance of "launching a collective international effort aimed at re-starting the path of negotiations between the two sides to achieve the desired peace," a presidency statement said.

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