Hamas to halt rocket attacks if Israel stops raids, report suggests

PanARMENIAN.Net - Hamas has offered to halt its rocket attacks if Israel stops its air raids on the Gaza Strip, reports suggest, according to BBC.

A source with the Palestinian militant group said Egyptian intelligence officials had brokered a potential ceasefire. Israel has not commented.

In the past few days Israel has launched air strikes after rockets were fired from Gaza. There is high tension in East Jerusalem ahead of the planned funeral of a murdered Palestinian teenager.

There have already been two days of clashes there between masked Palestinians and Israeli police over the kidnap and murder of 17-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdair. The motive for his killing has not been confirmed but there are claims it was an act of revenge for the recent murders of three Israeli teenagers in the occupied West Bank. Israeli police are investigating.

The teenager's funeral has already been delayed, adding to the tension. Police say they will hand the body to the family after Friday prayers, which are likely to end at about 12:30 local time (09:30 GMT).

The Hamas source told the BBC that "intensive contacts" between the group and Egyptian officials "succeeded in reaching a new truce between Hamas and Israel, and that the ceasefire agreement was to be announced within hours".

The source said Hamas was ready to halt rocket fire in return for an assurance that Israeli would stop air raids.