A new truce is expected to take effect at 10 a.m. (Gaza local time) on Monday amid ongoing Israeli ground-air-sea attacks on the strip where up to 12,000 Palestinians have either lost their life or suffered injuries.
Israel officially declared that it would respond to a new cease-fire call by the United Nations and the United States to stop firing between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., according to Israel radio which indicated that the truce was intended to ease off some hardships sustained by the Gaza civilians, who have taken the brunt of more than four weeks of heavy attacks by the Israeli forces bottling up the enclave.
The truce will be in enforced in all Gaza regions, except for Rafah where the Israeli Army is engaged in a complex operation aimed at locating and demolishing underground tunnels, used by the Palestinian factions for smuggling and waging surprise attacks on the troops deployed around Gaza, according to the Israeli reports.
However, the Palestinian Islamic movement, Hamas, which controls Gaza, eyed the truce call with suspicion and charged it "is intended to distract attention from the massacres being perpetrated in Gaza".
"Hamas has no confidence in this Israeli declared truce," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri in a statement, urging the war-haggard civilians in Gaza to remain vigilant.
On the ground, the Israeli air, ground and naval forces, carried out more attacks on Gaza. According to Palestinian radio stations, the Palestinian fighters resisted an Israeli naval force that tried to sneak into Al-Sudaniah region in northern Gaza. The troops had to pull out under cover of gunfire, unleashed by the Israeli gunboats cruising off the shore.
Palestinian sources reported more casualties due to the latest attacks, bringing the casualty toll of the ongoing Israeli offensive to 1,813 deaths and 9,400 injured.
Israel radio reported that two Israelis were wounded in fresh rocket attacks that targeted Israeli towns and settlements.
Tel Aviv has declared it is carrying out a limited pullback of the troops but will carry on with military operation to paralyze the Palestinian factions' capacities that could "threaten safety of the Israelis."