Gaza ceasefire comes into force

A ceasefire has begun in the Gaza Strip after several days of fierce fighting between the two main Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah.

The truce came into effect at 0300 (0100 GMT), after being announced by Mahmoud Zahar, foreign minister in the Hamas government.

Street battles had intensified over the past five days amid a bitter power struggle between the two sides in Gaza.

As the ceasefire was declared, Israeli aircraft bombed a tunnel under the Gaza-Egypt border.

It came one day after a Palestinian suicide bomber from Gaza killed three people in the Israeli resort of Eilat.

Mediation

Mr Zahar announced the truce flanked by Fatah representatives after talks between Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of Hamas and a senior aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah.

He said the two sides had also agreed to remove checkpoints that had sprung up in many places and release hostages taken recently.

Fatah spokesman Maher Mekdad said his group would observe the ceasefire.

"Despite all the bitterness and sadness that we are feeling, we will work to make it succeed," the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying.

Egyptian diplomats brokered the Hamas-Fatah deal which came after days of mediation.

The clashes erupted after weeks of relative calm and led both sides to suspend talks aimed at forming a national unity government.

A similar deal was reached a few days ago, but a source says that Monday's truce has a better chance of sticking as fighting has been less intense in the last 48 hours.