Israel-Gaza ceasefire deal ‘reached’
A ceasefire deal has been reached to end fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, an Israeli official has told the BBC.
He said it is to take effect today at 06:00 local time (03:00 GMT).
Hamas has not yet officially commented on the purported ceasefire, said to have been reached after talks in Egypt.
Some 227 Palestinians have died in Israeli air strikes since the current crisis began on 8 July. One Israeli has been killed by mortar fire from Gaza.
Israel launched its military operation in Gaza nine days ago with the stated objective of halting Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel.
However, the United Nations says most of those killed in Gaza have been civilians.
Israel accuses Hamas of hiding its military infrastructure within the civilian population.
Egypt has been mediating in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which dominates the Gaza strip.
The Egyptian foreign ministry has so far made no statement regarding the purported ceasefire agreement.
Reports say that the deal was agreed by Israeli negotiators at the talks in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, but that it has not yet been approved by the Israeli cabinet.