Israel begins Gaza ceasefire: army

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military began observing a unilateral ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Sunday after a 22-day offensive against the Hamas rulers of the Palestinian territory, an army spokesman said.

"Starting at 2:00 am (0000 GMT) we are holding our fire," an Israeli army spokesman told media.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had earlier declared that Israel would call a halt to an offensive that has killed more than 1,200 Palestinians, although he ordered troops to remain in the enclave and return fire if they came under attack.