Peace talks underway in Cairo as Gaza ceasefire holds

(Vatican Radio) Israeli negotiators arrived in Cairo on Monday to meet with Egyptian mediators for talks on ending the conflict with Hamas in the Gaza strip. An Egyptian-brokered 72 cease-fire, that took effect just after midnight, was reportedly holding, allowing Palestinians in Gaza to leave homes and shelters to begin repairing damaged infrastructure.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he hoped the truce would give the two sides "another chance to agree on a durable ceasefire for the benefit of all civilian populations and as a starting point to address the underlying grievances on both sides."

Meanwhile four injured Palestinians were flown into the Turkish capital, Ankara, for medical treatment on Monday, after Turkey promised to evacuate thousands from the Gaza Strip.

The month-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza has killed over 1,900 Palestinians and 67 Israelis. Thousands more Palestinians have been injured and left homeless by the Israeli air strikes  which began on July 8th when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched an operation intended to deter militant rocket attacks from Gaza.