A fragile truce came into force in the Gaza Strip Thursday amid skepticism over how long the Egyptian-brokered deal between Israel and the Hamas movement would hold. The six-month truce is the first since Hamas takeover of the impoverished Palestinian territory just over a year ago which triggered a crippling Israel blockade. Underscoring the fragility of the deal, a Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire targeting rocket launchers in Gaza City just minutes before the guns were to fall silent. “Hamas is determined to respect the truce and guarantee its success,” its spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said after the ceasefire took hold at 0300 GMT. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev said the Jewish state “will respect all the commitments it made.” The deal also entails a gradual easing of Israel's blockade of the overcrowded strip of land where most of the 1.5 million population depend on outside aid. Israeli authorities said this should start Sunday with an increase of goods allowed into the Palestinian enclave.
