Hamas yesterday signaled that it will accept a 10-day truce in the Gaza Strip, and Israel agreed to send a top diplomat to discuss terms of the cease-fire plan. But last-minute complications – and a plea by Osama bin Laden for Muslims to wage a holy war against Israel – could stall the peace bid.
A breakthrough in negotiations came when Hamas hinted it had approved in principle an Egyptian truce plan, which reportedly calls for a 10-day cooling-off period. It was unclear how Israel’s demand for an end to arms smuggling into Gaza would be handled.
A senior Israeli envoy, Amos Gilad, is due in Cairo today to be briefed about the plan. Also today, Aharon Abramovich, the director of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, is traveling to Washington to discuss a potential US role in the cease-fire.
The truce efforts came as bin Laden called for a Muslim holy war against the United States and Israel because of the Gaza fighting. The tape was bin Laden’s first message in seven months.