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Israel accepts truce 'principles'

Israel has agreed "on the principles" of a ceasefire proposal, raising hopes of an end to its conflict with Palestinian militants in Gaza.

"The challenge now is to get the details to match the principles," Israeli spokesman Mark Regev said.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas said there were "positive signs but no agreement yet".

The development came as Israel halted military operations in Gaza for three hours to aid humanitarian efforts.

The lull, which began about 1100 GMT and ended shortly after 1400 GMT, was the first of what an Israeli spokesman said would be a daily ceasefire to allow Gazans to "get medical attention, get supplies... whatever they need".

News agencies reported that Gaza residents had rushed out into the streets during the lull to stock up on food and visit relatives in hospital.

Smuggling

Israel and Hamas have been under pressure to accept a diplomatic solution to the conflict, which began on 27 December.

Israel wants to stop rocket attacks on southern Israel and to stop Hamas smuggling weapons into Gaza via Egypt, while Hamas says any ceasefire deal must include an end to Israel's blockade of Gaza. Israel said it was not sure how long the diplomatic process would take and that a working arms embargo on Hamas was needed.

Little official detail has been given about the French-Egyptian proposal, which is backed by the US and UN, but diplomats say it centres around measures to halt weapons smuggling from Egypt into Gaza, coupled with moves to ease the blockade.

In a statement released on Wednesday, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed "the acceptance by Israel and the Palestinian Authority" of the truce plan. The statement did not mention Hamas.

Blockade

Israel's military said the three-hour pause in operations to create "humanitarian corridors" for supplies and fuel would happen every day.

A Hamas spokesman said that the group would not launch any missiles at Israeli targets during the lull.

Israel has been criticised by aid agencies who have warned of a mounting humanitarian crisis for the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza, who are unable to escape from the conflict because of Israel's blockade.

Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for the UN relief agency Unwra, said the move did not go far enough.

"When you are trying to feed 750,000 people a day in Gaza as we are, you need a permanent ceasefire. You can't do that in a three-hour window," he said.

The World Bank also warned on Wednesday of a looming public health crisis in Gaza because of damage to its sewage system and a shortage of clean drinking water.

Israel's decision to facilitate "humanitarian corridors" follows one of the deadliest days since the offensive began last month, with more than 130 people killed on Tuesday.

Overnight, Israeli forces launched 40 fresh air strikes in Gaza, while Israeli media reports say nine rockets were fired into southern Israel from Gaza early on Wednesday.

More than 600 Palestinians are believed to have been killed since Israel began its offensive on 27 December. Palestinian health ministry officials say at least 195 children were among them.

Since the start of its military operation in Gaza, Israel has lost seven soldiers on the ground.

Militants have also launched hundreds of rockets into Israel, killing four people.

Casualty claims in Gaza cannot be independently verified.

Israel is refusing to let international journalists into Gaza, despite a supreme court ruling to allow a limited number of reporters to enter the territory.

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