A ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip will begin tomorrow, Egypt said after mediating a deal that could ease a crippling Israeli blockade of the Hamas-controlled territory.

"Both sides have pledged to halt all hostilities and all military activities against each other," Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said in Cairo yesterday, after weeks of separate talks with Israel and Hamas.

Confirming details provided to Reuters by a Palestinian official in Gaza yesterday, Mr Zaki said the truce would go into effect at 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) tomorrow.

A ceasefire would aim to end rocket and mortar bomb attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip and Israeli raids in the territory. Israel has said it would continue preparing for possible large-scale military action should a truce fall apart. Shortly before the Palestinian official said a six-month ceasefire had been reached, Israel launched air strikes that killed six militants in the Gaza Strip.

Israel stopped short of confirming the timing of what it said would be an informal arrangement to halt fighting. An Israeli official said Israeli intelligence chiefs were sceptical that a truce could last.

Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, issued a statement welcoming Egypt's efforts "to achieve calm" and saying progress had been achieved towards halting Israeli "aggression and ending the siege".

Hamas officials said other Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip had agreed to abide by the ceasefire.

Israeli and Palestinian officials said earlier that, under any truce accord, the blockade Israel imposed on the Gaza Strip after Hamas seized the territory a year ago from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction would be eased gradually and partially.

Israel has allowed in humanitarian aid but has cut back on the supply of non-essential goods, such as construction materials and as fuel, saying Gazans could not expect to lead normal lives while Israelis were under rocket attack.

"What is important is not words but actions," said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

He repeated Israel's demands for an end to strikes on Israeli civilians, a halt to arms smuggling into the Gaza Strip and progress towards the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier seized by Gaza militants two years ago.

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