Egypt’s foreign minister on Tuesday said 5 February 2009 will mark the start of a truce between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.

According to Foreign Minister Abu Al-Gheit, Egypt hopes a comprehensive agreement is maintained over a long period and that it will include an opening to Gaza’s crossings by the beginning of February.

Egypt will also host Palestinian unity talks beginning in February, according to the announcement by Abu Al-Gheit.

“The invitation for Palestinian factions would be in the third week of February,” the foreign minister said, adding that Egypt is “hoping that they reach an agreement” shortly thereafter.

According to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), those talks are slated to begin on the 22 February, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported on Tuesday.

An official within the Palestinian Liberation Front, Bilal Qassem, told Al-Hayat that Egypt “will call for a Palestinian dialogue on the 22nd of February,” confirming the DFLP’s announcement.

But Hamas told Reuters that “the date is not final and is subject to discussion.” The London-based news agency attributed the quote to Ayman Taha, a leading Hamas official.

Hebrew-language news agency "Walla" reported that Israel plans to sign peace deal in as soon as 48 hours.