Hamas Pitches Deal for Gaza 'Calm'

Meeting with Egyptian authorities, Hamas leaders today proposed a truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip and, eventually, the West Bank, Reuters reports. A Palestinian source said the group agreed to "a calm” in Gaza and, after a “specified period,” in the West Bank. The deal, supported by other militant groups, would require Israel to end blockades and military action in Gaza.

For its part, Israel was prepared for “quiet” in the area, but called for the Islamist faction to stop all attacks on Israelis and for all Palestinian groups to halt cross-border rocket attacks and weapons smuggling. “We can't have a period of quiet that will just be the quiet before the storm,” said a spokesman for Israel. (More Hamas stories.)