Israel Will Continue ‘Neutralizing’ Tunnels During Cease-Fire
Published at
iStock/Thinkstock(TEL AVIV, Israel) — Israeli forces will continue “neutralizing” tunnels in Gaza despite a 12-hour cease-fire Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Friday.
The cease-fire in Gaza will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time (1 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET).
“During this time, the Operational activities to locate and neutralize tunnels in the Gaza Strip will continue,” read a statement from the IDF.
A U.S. official said there was no word from Hamas on whether they’d agree to the cease-fire.
Secretary of State John Kerry had called for a seven-day cease-fire earlier in the day during a news conference in Cairo as part of last-ditch efforts to resolve the 18-day conflict. He had proposed the cease-fire over the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday next week, marking the end of Ramadan.
He’s now headed to Paris for another round of talks.
As soon as Kerry finished his remarks, Israeli Minister of Defense Moshe Ya’alon announced that troops should be prepared for an expansion of their ground invasion in Gaza.
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio