A precarious six-month truce took effect this morning between Israelis and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
Egypt negotiated the truce after a year of deadly fighting between Israel and supporters of Hamas, the Palestinian group which controls the Gaza strip.
Under the truce, Israel will ease its blockade of the area -- a move designed to put pressure on militant groups, but one that has also driven Gaza residents deeper into poverty.
But even as the deadline for the start of the truce wound down, there were last-minute skirmishes. An Israeli airstrike in central Gaza killed a Hamas militant. The Palestinians also shot off their own rockets and mortars.
However, according to media reports, the early hours of the truce have seen no new fighting.
Under the conditions of the truce:
- Israel will gradually ease its blockade, starting by allowing larger shipments of supplies this Sunday.
- About a week later it will ease cargo crossing restrictions.
- In the last stage, negotiators will seek to reopen the border passage between Gaza and Egypt and try to secure the release of an Israeli soldier held captive for two years.
P.J. Crowley, a senior fellow at American Progress, told CTV's Canada AM Thursday the truce recognizes that hardened positions over the past few years on both sides have not worked.
"(Hamas) still has control over Gaza. On the other hand, their people are suffering significantly. Israel has recognized that its military strategy of trying to defeat Hamas militarily has not been successful," Crowley said.
Crowley said the Palestinian Authority -- the political group which controls the West Bank and competes with the more hardline Hamas -- along with the West and Israel, needs to find a way to bring Hamas into the long-term peace process.
"You currently have a three-state situation and you're seeking a two-state solution," Crowley said.
Israel has said it will not negotiate with Hamas, a popularly elected government, which wrested control of the West Bank last year.
Palestinian residents say they just want life to return to relative normalcy.
"I want to be able to sleep without the sound of shelling or warplanes," said Eman Mahmoud, a 22-year-old Gaza university student. "We have been living a nightmare. ... I am not sure how long it is going to last, but my dream is that this calm will continue," he told The Associated Press.
Both sides have committed to living up to their end of the terms of the truce. Israel noted it would closely monitor the situation for any indications of hostile activities by Palestinian groups. An email from Hamas' military wing said that the group was committed to the truce, but it added it was not a "free gift to the occupiers."
