Israelis find shelter from the rockets in a s
Israelis find shelter from the rockets in a sReuters

Sources in Israel, Egypt and Gaza have said that a ceasefire will be declared in Gaza and Israel within hours. Meanwhile, the IDF's deployment and actions appear to signal an imminent ground assault into Gaza.

Israeli sources said the ceasefire will be declared Tuesday night during a visit from United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The ceasefire deal will be enforced by the U.S. as well as Egypt and Israel, they said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle were involved in negotiations, they added.

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi told state media that Israeli “aggression” in Gaza would end Tuesday.

“The farce of the Israeli aggression will end today, Tuesday, and the efforts to reach a ceasefire between the Palestinians and Israelis will produce positive results within a few hours," the AFP news agency reported Morsi as saying.

A Hamas official backed his words, saying, “It’s no secret we’re on the verge of an agreement.” Hamas is demanding that Israel completely lift its blockade of Gaza, he stated. Israel has opened its crossings into Gaza for the transfer of goods, but continues to impose a naval blockade on the region under agreements with the Palestinian Authority.

The Islamic Jihad terrorist group also said a ceasefire would go into effect by Tuesday evening.

For the time being, the IDF continues to gather reservists outside Gaza and to hit terrorist targets in the region, and Hamas continues to fire on Israeli civilians. The statements and leaks regarding a possible ceasefire could turn out to be intentional disinformation.