Gaza's Hamas rulers said Monday they have reached an agreement through international mediators to end the latest round of cross-border violence with Israel.
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Under the deal, Hamas is to halt the launches of explosives-laden balloons and rocket fire into Israel, while Israel said it will ease restrictions that have been tightened in recent weeks.
As a result of indirect mediation efforts led by Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar, Hamas said "several projects will be announced to serve our people in Gaza Strip and contribute in mitigating" difficult living conditions.
Its statement didn't detail any of the projects but it said conditions would return to "what they were before the escalation."
Under previous, unofficial understandings reached through intermediaries, Hamas has sought a broader easing of restrictions on movement, increased power supplies from Israel and large-scale economic projects to help lower unemployment hovering around 50%. It accuses Israel of moving too slowly or not honoring its commitments.
Israel announced late Monday that it would immediately reopen Gaza's only cargo crossing and resume fuel shipments into the territory. It also said it would reopen a 15-mile (25-kilometer) fishing zone off Gaza's coast.
"This decision will be tested on the ground: if Hamas, which is accountable for all actions that are taken in the Gaza Strip, fails to stand its obligations, Israel will act accordingly," the Israel Defense Forces said.
The UN envoy to the region, Nickolay Mladenov, welcomed the agreement.
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