Israel, Hamas agree to 12-hour Gaza ceasefire

The Israeli military and Hamas have reportedly agreed to a 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

According to the BBC, the truce is due to begin on Saturday morning at 0800 local time (0500 GMT). Efforts to negotiate a seven-day ceasefire are still ongoing.

A Hamas militant spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said there was national consensus on a humanitarian truce for 12 hours on Saturday.

While the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the truce on Twitter, it warned that the military will respond if terrorists choose to exploit this time to attack IDF personnel or fire at Israeli civilians.

The IDF also said that it would continue to locate and neutralize terror.

Earlier, at least two Palestinians were killed and 200 wounded in the West Bank after residents clashed with police in protest against Israel's campaign in Gaza.

According to the BBC, about 10,000 protesters marched from Ramallah towards East Jerusalem, where they were met by Israeli forces.

The protest turned violent when residents started throwing rocks and blocked one of the main roads with a barrier of burning tyres.

About 13 people were killed and 200 were injured in an Israeli attack earlier on a UN-run school in Gaza, which was being used as a shelter by Palestinians.

The school, located in the north-east city of Beit Hanoun, was sheltering several Palestinian families since Israel launched an offensive against Hamas on July 8, the report said.

At least 797 Palestinians and 33 Israelis have been killed during the last 16 days of fighting between Israel and the Hamas militants.

According to a UN estimate, more than 118,000 people are now seeking shelter in UN-run schools and people are running out of food.