Gov’t welcomes Gaza ceasefire

AMMAN — The government on Wednesday welcomed the open-ended ceasefire agreement the Palestinians and the Israelis reached to end the Gaza war, which went into effect on Tuesday.

In a Cabinet session, the government said the truce would save the lives of the innocent Palestinians.

The agreement to halt fighting indefinitely and reopen the border crossings between the Palestinian and Israeli sides will also help accelerate the entry of humanitarian aid into the coastal enclave, the Council of Ministers said. 

The government also expressed hope that the Palestinians and the Israelis would, as agreed, resume indirect negotiations in a month after the ceasefire to discuss other issues.

The truce reached called for an indefinite halt to hostilities, the immediate opening of Gaza’s blockaded crossings with Israel and Egypt, and a widening of the territory’s fishing zone in the Mediterranean.