An official Egyptian source said the truce between Israel and the Palestinian factions in Gaza was expected to be announced over the next 48 hours. The truce will last 18 months and includes opening all six border crossings of the Gaza Strip and lifting the blockade from the Strip, the source added. With regard to the Rafah crossing, the source said arrangements would be made to reopen it in March after the Gaza reconstruction conference. Meanwhile, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, Dr. Nabil Sha'ath, said the truce among the Palestinian factions and Israel in Gaza would be announced today or tomorrow. He told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Egyptian officials organized a meeting on Thursday evening between members of Fatah's central leadership and Hamas' Political Bureau to pave the way for the Palestinian National Dialogue due on February 22. He affirmed that during the meeting, it was stressed that it is necessary to stop mutual media campaigns and hold further meetings among the factions in Gaza, the West Bank and abroad. Meanwhile, the chairman of Hamas' Political Bureau Khaled Meshaal said no agreement has been reached to release the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, pointing out that Israel is trying to mix the issues and to link Shalit with the opening of the border crossings. He also said this was unacceptable, adding: "We've informed the Egyptian officials of this". Speaking to the press yesterday on the sidelines of his visit to Libya, Meshaal said the Israeli elections had confirmed "the Israeli society's inclination toward extremism".
