(VOVworld) - A ceasefire between the Israeli government and the Islamist Hamas movement that runs the Gaza Strip has taken effect since 19 GMT on Thursday. After a series of international diplomatic efforts, the truce has temporarily ended fierce fire exchange in Gaza that killed nearly 200 people last weekend. However, there are doubts about the sustainability of the truce as this is not the first time Israel and Hamas agree to stop fighting.

The truce was announced in Cairo on Wednesday by Egypt, a mediating country at a media conference with Foreign Minister Kamel Amr  and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Earlier, Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed with Egypt’s ceasefire proposal aimed at ending a weeklong bloodshed in and around the Gaza Strip. The Islamist Hamas movement also confirmed the agreement. Under the deal, Israel has agreed to end all hostilities and targeted killings, while all Palestinian factions will have to stop firing rockets into Israel and staging border attacks. Israel must also begin talks about opening Gaza's border crossings and easing restrictions on the movement of people and goods.

Analyst say there are several reasons behind the Jewish State’s ceasefire agreement at a time when Israeli defence policy is likely to become a large scale invasion in Gaza. Prolonged fighting will do more harm than good to Prime Minister Natanyahu as the parliamentary election is approaching. Any military mistake may push him to underdog position in early next year’s election, not to mention the fact that only 30% of the pubic support Israel’s ground forces’ offensive over Gaza. Lengthy conflict is unbeneficial to Hamas too.  In addition to movement’s inner discord over selecting a new leader, Hamas is facing fierce competition with other organizations in Gaza.

The international community has welcomed the latest ceasefire, but voiced concern over its sustainability because quite a few Israel-Hamas truces were broken. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said "We are all aware that there are many details that must be solidified for a broad, durable ceasefire to take firm hold over the longer term. It is imperative that both sides stick to the ceasefire in order to allow these underlying issues to be addressed." US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US, Israel’s close ally, welcomed the ceasefire, promising to work with regional partners to consolidate the process, improve the living conditions of Gaza people and ensure security for Israel. Egyptian Foreign Minister Kamel Amr  called on parties involved to implement every provision of the agreement and their commitments.

The world is worried about the durability of the ceasefire due to the nature of the relationship between the Israeli government and the Islamist Hams movement. Tel Aviv has listed Hamas as a terrorist organization and severed contacts with Palestine’s most powerful faction. After all, the ceasefire stems from reality’s needs rather than involved parties’ true will. Furthermore, does the ceasefire with Israel please other Gaza factions or not?

The truce between the Jewish State and the Islamic Hams movement is an encouraging signal. But its durability remains questionable.