Senior Palestinian officials said armed groups in the Gaza Strip agreed to halt firing missiles at Israel at midnight Saturday, if Israel launches no new raids into the Strip. But two main groups denied that any agreement had been reached.
According to the AP, the Palestinian officials said the unilateral cease-fire was aimed at ending an Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip that started June 28, three days after an Israeli soldier was captured and two others shot dead.
The agreement was reached in Gaza City following meetings sponsored by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh aimed at finding a way out of the crisis in Gaza Strip, the officials said.
But two groups said no agreement had been reached. Abu Kosai, a spokesman for the Al Aqsa Brigades, said: "This report is baseless. We are going to continue launching our rockets toward the Zionist communities as long as the aggression continues. As long as the aggression exists, it's our right to respond."
He also said, "We made contacts with all our brothers who are working in the military field who knew nothing about this report and this agreement."
Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad, said: "This is a completely false report. Resistance will continue because the aggression exists and rockets are one of the tools we use in this resistance."
