Israel and the Palestinians have reached a Gaza ceasefire deal and an official announcement will be made in Egypt, where the agreement was mediated, a Gaza-based Hamas spokesman.

"An agreement has been reached between the two sides and we are awaiting the announcement from Cairo to determine the zero hour for implementation," said the spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri.

A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to comment. A spokesman for the Palestinian Popular Resistance Committees, a group that like Hamas has been firing rockets into Israel, said an Egyptian announcement could be made within two hours.

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