Abbas secures ceasefire in talks with Hamas, Islamic Jihad

Radical movements Hamas and theIslamic Jihad (Holy War) said on Saturday that they will honor a ceasefire declared at a summit held at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh four days earlier.

The move came after meetings between Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and officials of militant factions.

Earlier in the day, Abbas also met with West Bank militants deported to the Gaza Strip after an Israeli military operation in the West Bank in 2002 and informed them of an impending return to their homes as part of an agreement reached at the summit. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Saturday that56 West Bank deportees in the Gaza Strip and 13 in Europe would beallowed to return to their homes in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz met on Saturday with senior Palestinian officials in Tel Aviv to discuss further ceasefire arrangements, including the handover of five West Bank towns to the Palestinians.

Source: Xinhua