Gaza City: A three-day cease-fire in the Gaza Strip has gone into effect following heavy Israel-Hamas fighting.
The cease-fire, announced hours earlier by the US and the UN, took effect at 8:00 a.m. (0500 GMT)on Friday. Secretary of State John Kerry cautioned there were "no guarantees" that the lull would bring an end to the Gaza war, now in its fourth week.
Israel and Hamas both said they would respect the cease-fire but would respond to attacks.
At least four short humanitarian cease-fires have been announced since the conflict began, but each has been broken within a few hours by renewed fighting.
Hours before the cease-fire was to take effect, 17 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes. Israel's military said five soldiers were killed along the Gaza border on Thursday evening.
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