Israel Confirms: Cease-Fire to Continue for Another 24 Hours

Israel confirmed late Monday night, a mere half hour before the cease-fire was to expire, a 24- hour extension as per Egypt’s request to enable the continuation of negotiations in Cairo.

In a statement, Egypt confirmed that a deal had not been reached but that talks on a long-term arrangement in the region would continue.

“Palestinians and Israelis agreed on extending the cease-fire for 24 hours to continue current negotiations,” Egypt’s official news agency said, quoting an official statement.

The announcement of the extension came several hours after the Ma’an news agency reported that the two teams participating in Cairo talks have signed their initials to a permanent cease-fire agreement. Israel has denied that the outline of the final cease-fire agreement was agreed upon.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said earlier Monday that Israel was “prepared for any scenario,” with the IDF ready “for a very firm action if fire is resumed.”