U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has just announced a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The announcement came as part of the press conference between Clinton and Egypt’s President, Mohammed Morsi. In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the agreement.This announcement came just a few hours after a bomb exploded onboard a bus in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. Many in Gaza fled their homes in fear of retaliation from Israelis.
In the press conference Clinton said, “The United States welcomes the agreement today for the cease-fire in Gaza". She emphasized "for it [the ceasefire] to hold, the rocket attacks must end." Additionally Clinton called the negotiations and agreement "a step in the right direction that we should build on," Clinton noted that a lasting agreement must be put in place.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Cairo on Wednesday, where she met Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. Speaking earlier in Jerusalem, she assured Netanyahu of "rock-solid" U.S. support for Israel's security and spoke of seeking a "durable outcome" and of Egypt's "responsibility" for promoting peace.
The ceasefire is set to start at 9 P.M. Cairo time, 2pm EST.