Jerusalem:
Israel has agreed to observe an immediate two-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza's Shejaiya neighbourhood, halting a blistering bombing campaign in the area, a military spokeswoman said on Sunday.
"There is going to be a humanitarian window between 1:30 and 3:30 (1030 and 1230 GMT) in Shejaiya," an army spokeswoman said.
Another military official said the move was in response to a request by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
This comes shortly after the Islamist Hamas movement said it had accepted a proposal for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza made by the Red Cross.
"The ICRC contacted (us) and offered to broker a three-hour humanitarian truce to enable ambulances to evacuate the dead and wounded and Hamas accepted it," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.
The move came as Israel continued pounding several neighbourhoods east of Gaza City, leaving at least 40 people dead and nearly 400 wounded.
The intensity of the bombardment prevented emergency services from accessing the neighbourhoods and dead bodies lay in the streets as thousands fled in terror, an AFP correspondent reported.
"There is going to be a humanitarian window between 1:30 and 3:30 (1030 and 1230 GMT) in Shejaiya," an army spokeswoman said.
Another military official said the move was in response to a request by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
This comes shortly after the Islamist Hamas movement said it had accepted a proposal for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza made by the Red Cross.
"The ICRC contacted (us) and offered to broker a three-hour humanitarian truce to enable ambulances to evacuate the dead and wounded and Hamas accepted it," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.
The move came as Israel continued pounding several neighbourhoods east of Gaza City, leaving at least 40 people dead and nearly 400 wounded.
The intensity of the bombardment prevented emergency services from accessing the neighbourhoods and dead bodies lay in the streets as thousands fled in terror, an AFP correspondent reported.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
