Strongly supporting the humanitarian ceasefire announced in Gaza today, the US appealed to Israel and Hamas to act with restraint during the truce period and to abide by their commitments.
"The United States strongly supports the humanitarian ceasefire announced in Gaza this evening. We urge all parties to act with restraint until this humanitarian ceasefire begins at 8:00 AM local time on Friday, August 1, 2014, and to fully abide by their commitments," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
"We believe the only sustainable way to address Israel's security concerns and enable Palestinians in Gaza to lead normal lives is through a permanent ceasefire agreement," Earnest said.
"We urge the Israeli and Palestinian delegations to begin negotiations immediately in Cairo, at the invitation of Egypt, aimed at achieving a durable ceasefire," Earnest said adding that the US stands ready to support the successful conclusion of these negotiations, working with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, the United Nations, and other partners in the region.
The UN and US announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to an "unconditional humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza for a period of 72 hours starting today, allowing both sides to negotiate on a "durable" armistice.
