Israel, armed groups in Gaza agree to ceasefire, Palestinian officials say

Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza agreed to a ceasefire early on Wednesday, two Palestinian officials said, after the death of a Palestinian hunger striker in Israeli custody a day earlier sparked cross-border exchanges of fire.

The "reciprocal and simultaneous" ceasefire went into effect at 3:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) and was brought about with efforts from Egyptian, Qatari and United Nations officials, the sources told Reuters.