ROTTERDAM, August 26 -- Palestinians and Israeli media report long-term deal agreed, with Egyptian mediators saying ceasefire in effect tonight. Egyptian and Palestinian officials have said an open-ended agreement has been sealed with Israel to end seven weeks of fighting in Gaza, with Hamas describing the ceasefire deal as a "victory for the resistance".Two Egyptian officials told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday that a statement would be made at 17.00 GMT, and that the ceasefire would begin an hour later. Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, reporting Gaza, said that the deal agreed an immediate easing of the Israeli blockade of Gaza, and a gradual lifting of restrictions on fishing off the coast of the strip. An initial ceasefire had been set down for a month, reports said. The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, hailed the agreement as a chance to "build a new nation and end the occupation", before thanking Egypt for its role in brokering the agreement. Hamas's exiled deputy leader, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said halied the agreement qas a "victory for the resistance". Israeli media reported that Israeli ministers had been updated that Israel accepted the Egyptian ceasefire deal. The leader of Palestinian delegation to the ceasefire talks, Azzam al-Ahmad, said the deal was reached following 48 hours of extensive talks with officials in Doha, Cairo, Gaza and Ramallah. Israeli air raids continued on Tuesday, as jets attacked two Gaza City high-rises, collapsing one building and severely damaging the other. One attack levelled the 15-storey Basha tower and severely damaged a 13-storey building known as the Italian complex, which was home to 70 families and dozens of shops and offices. Palestinian health officials said 20 people were wounded in the Italian complex attack. A total of 2,138 people, most of them civilians including more than 490 children, have been killed in Gaza since war broke out on July 8. Thousands of homes have been destroyed or damaged in the conflict, while the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said 540,000 people had been displaced by the violence. Source: Al Jazeera
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