Israel will observe a “humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza, after nine days of deadly rocket and missile exchanges with militants, according to a senior Israeli army officer.
Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai told the BBC the truce would be in force from 10am to 3pm local time on Thursday.
Palestinian officials said Israeli raids had killed at least 213 Gazans since the start of the violence last week. Hamas militants have fired more than 1,200 rockets into Israel.
Four boys on a beach in Gaza were reported to have been the victims of the latest strikes.
It is understood that the children were all members of the same extended family and were playing on the seafront outside a hotel used by foreign journalists.
Israel had its first fatality on Tuesday, when a man was killed by a mortar shell near the northern border with Gaza.
A timeline of how rising tension in #Gaza swiftly turned to all-out conflict, in photos: http://t.co/rMmd5ZYbly pic.twitter.com/fllKXyfZk0
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) July 16, 2014
