Gaza truce plan agreed

Israel and the Palestinian Authority have accepted a Franco-Egyptian ceasefire plan for Gaza, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said. A three-hour lull in fighting has been held in a bid to get humanitarian aid to victims of the conflict. On Tuesday, 42 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes at the UN-run al-Fakhora school in Jabalya refugee camp, where hundreds of terrified Palestinians had taken shelter from fierce fighting. Two other UN-run schools in Gaza were also hit, causing fatalities. At least 77 civilians were killed in the region during the day. A statement from President Sarkozy's office said: "The president is delighted by the acceptance by Israel and the Palestinian Authority of the Franco-Egyptian plan presented last night in Sharm el-Sheikh by (Egyptian) President (Hosni) Mubarak. "The head of state calls for this plan to be implemented as quickly as possible for the suffering of the population to stop." Israel had been mulling a major escalation that would see troops pushed deep inside Gaza's cities and refugee camps in their bid to end rocket salvoes into Israel by Islamist militants. John Ging, director of operations in Gaza for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said Gaza has become "hell on earth" for its 1.5 million inhabitants and the three-hour lull in fighting was insufficient, given their needs. On Wednesday, at least 12 Palestinians died in attacks, medical workers said. More than 760 Palestinians, including 130 militants, have been killed since the offensive began. Nine Israelis, including three civilians, have died.

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ITN | January 7, 2009

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