Israel accepted an Egyptian cease-fire proposal on Monday night that is to go into effect Tuesday morning at 8:00 am.
Senior diplomatic officials pointed out that from the early stages of the Gaza operation Israel had accepted the Egyptian cease-fire proposal.
The officials stressed that the cease-fire is unconditional, and pointed out that its acceptance came about after Israel finished destroying the terror tunnels.
The officials said that Israel was preparing for the possibility that Hamas would violate the cease-fire, as it has done in the past, and also cautioned the Israeli public to continue to be vigilant as Hamas may try to carry out a major attack for a a final “victory picture” before the cease-fire goes into effect.
It was not immediately clear when an Israeli delegation would head to Cairo for indirect talks on a long-term agreement.
The officials said that if the cease-fire was honored, there would be no reason to a continued IDF presence inside the Gaza Strip. The members of the security-cabinet were informed of the decision, but there was no reason for a vote.
Azzam al-Ahmed, head of the Palestinian delegation to the Cairo discussions, confirmed late Monday that a cease-fire would go into effect Tuesday at 8:00 a.m.
Al-Ahmed, who is a senior Fatah official, said that the cease-fire would be for 72-hours, during which Israel and the Palestinian factions would hold indirect talks in Cairo about consolidating the truce. ‭‮
Earlier in the day, Ziad al-Nakhaleh, deputy head of Islamic Jihad and member of the delegation, said in a TV interview that he expected a cease-fire agreement to be announced “in the coming hours.”
He said that the Egyptians demonstrated “great understanding” for the demands of the Palestinians regarding a cease-fire with Israel.
The demands were presented by the Palestinian delegation to the Egyptians late Sunday.
The demands call for an immediate ceasefire and the lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip, in addition to the reopening of all border crossings. They also call for international assurances that Israel would refrain from launching military attacks in the future and UN assistance in rebuilding the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinians are also demanding an airport and seaport, in addition to free passage between the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israeli officials have dismissed this list of demands in recent days as “completely unrealistic."
Prior to the flurry of reports about a possible cease-fire, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Monday afternoon that the Gaza campaign was continuing, and the only element coming to a conclusion right now was the action against the tunnels.
“The campaign will end only when quiet and security for a prolonged period of time is restored to Israeli citizens,” he said, following security deliberations with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and Chief of the General Staff Lt.-Gen Benny Gantz at the IDF's southern command headquarters.
Netanyahu, in his comments, made no mention of an imminent cease-fire. A 72-hour cease-fire brokered last week by US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ended 90 minutes after it began, with the killing of two IDF soldiers in Rafah, and the abduction of a third.
As voices inside Israel are increasingly being raised asking questions about the wisdom of redeploying the IDF troops on the Gaza border even as the Hamas rocket fire on Israel continues, Netanyahu reiterated what he has said repeatedly over the last few weeks: that Israel was delivering a very hard blow to Hamas and the other terrorist organizations.
“We have no intention of harming Gaza citizens,” he said, “and those harming them are for all intents and purposes Hamas, which also prevent them from access to humanitarian aid. “ “I think that the international community needs to roundly condemn Hamas and demand, as we are, that the rehabilitation of Gaza will be linked to its demilitarization,” he added.
Ya'alon, who also stressed that the operation has not ended, said that the campaign “has set Hamas back five years.”
In light of Hamas' violation of the 72-hour cease fire declared on Friday, Ya'alon said, “we are acting independently without [being involved] in any process. If someone, in the final analysis wants to stop the fire, they should call us.”
Israel's campaign, he said will not end “until there will be a full cease-fire and an understanding that they don't fire on us, and don't threaten us.”
Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said during a visit to to Rafael's Iron Dome development and manufacturing facility that “since Israel cannot agree to a long-term war of attrition, in the coming days we well need to decide – according to the developments on the ground – if we are headed to a cease-fire and an agreement, or to new escalation of the campaign and a decision.”
Earlier in the day Netanyahu visited wounded soldiers at the Soroka Medical Center Beersheba.
"You are the finest of our sons,” he said. “You are doing holy work in defending the citizens of Israel. The entire nation is behind you. I am proud of each one of you." In the halls of the hospital Netanyahu spoke, and at times, exchanged hugs, with the families of the soldiers, as well as with the medical staff.
In a related development, diplomatic officials did not place too much significance to a statement by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Monday calling on the world powers to impose a political solution from the outside to halt the conflict.
Relating to Sunday's killing of 10 people in a UN school in Rafah, and the ongoing rocket fire on Israel, he said, "This is why we need a political solution, of which the components are known, and which I believe should be imposed by the international community, because the two parties - despite countless efforts - have unfortunately shown themselves incapable of completing talks." "Ceasefire, imposition of a two-state solution and security for Israel - there is no other way," he added.
One diplomatic official dismissed this as simply “posturing,” saying there was not an “organized idea or plan” behind the words.
It shows a certain degree of frustration at the situation, but no more than that, the official said, adding that there was no move inside the EU at this time to try to impose a solution on the sides.
Another official said that Jerusalem had been “pleasantly” surprised by support from European leaders such as Germany's Angela Merkel, Britain's' David Cameron, and France's Francois Hollande.
The problem in Europe, he said, was not with the leaders, but the various publics, which is heavily influenced by the unending pictures of the carnage and destruction inside Gaza. But that public opinion, the official acknowledged, does trickle up and impact on the leaders.

By HERB KEINON, KHALED ABU TOAMEH