Palestinian and Egyptian officials say Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas have reached a cease-fire agreement that will go into effect in Gaza on Thursday. Israel would not confirm the deal, but said a negotiator was rushing to Cairo to finalize details. Robert Berger at the VOA bureau in Jerusalem.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh says the militant group and Israel may be close to signing a truce in the Gaza Strip.

The United States' top diplomat has arrived in the Middle East to try to give a boost to the peace process. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is pushing for a peace agreement before President Bush leaves office in January.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that Israel cabinet was "very close" to deciding on how to respond to continued rocket attacks from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni indicated Sunday Israel may uproot some of its West Bank settlements as part of a peace accord with the Palestinians. Livni spoke at the start of a meeting Sunday with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. VOA's David Gollust reports from Jerusalem.

Russia's foreign minister said a Moscow-hosted peace conference on the Middle East will be held in June or July, depending on the schedules of the countries taking part.

Jimmy Carter tells the Israeli Council on Foreign Relations that Hamas leaders have told him that they would accept a peace deal with Israel negotiated with Palestinian authority. Also Hamas lets Shalit, the captured Israeli soldier in Hamas custody, to send another letter home, saying that he is in good health.

After a long weekend of discussions and crises between delegations from Hamas and Fatah, the two parties have signed the 'Sana Announcement, calling to resume their dialogue. Only few hours passed, however, before it was revealed that the agreement might be void of substance, due to internal conflicts within Fatah itself.

The killing by Israeli undercover troops of four Palestinian militants in Bethlehem, on March 12, raises questions not as much about Israel’s right to self-defense but about the context and the circumstances under which this right is exercised...

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called for a halt to rocket attacks on Israeli cities and a revival of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Thousands of Palestinians have formed a human chain in the Gaza Strip to protest Israel's blockade of the Hamas-controlled territory.

A senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says Palestinians should follow the example of Kosovo and unilaterally declare independence. VOA's Jim Teeple reports the idea was dismissed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and by Israeli officials.