New York, Aug 01 (ANI): The unconditional 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire by Israel and Hamas has begun in Gaza. Israel and Hamas agreed to the ceasefire, with talks on a permanent truce set to begin in Cairo, according to a statement released by the United Nations (UN) and United States. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry released a joint statement on Thursday announcing the ceasefire and calling for all parties to _act with restraint until this humanitarian ceasefire begins, and to fully abide by their commitments during the ceasefire._ As the crisis in Gaza continues unabated, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos on Thursday urged the parties to protect civilians from the conflict that has resulted in thousands of casualties and caused widespread displacement and destruction.
