Egypt said today a ceasefire it has been trying to broker between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza will begin later this week.
The truce is intended to end rocket and mortar bomb strikes against southern Israel and Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip.
Foreign ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said "military activities" will stop on Thursday morning. A Palestinian official in Gaza confirmed the details.
"Both sides have pledged to halt all hostilities and all military activities against each other," Mr Zaki said.
The truce is important to Egypt, which does not want to be viewed as aiding the Israeli blockade on Gaza or see Islamist militants storm its border as Hamas gunmen did in January, allowing hundreds of thousands of Gazans to cross into Sinai.
Israel stopped short of confirming the timing of what it said would be an informal arrangement to halt fighting.
Mr Zaki said Israel described the deal as informal because it does not want to recognise the Hamas Islamist movement, which has ruled the coastal strip since routing the forces of President Mahmoud Abbas in June last year.
"What is said by both sides is not important, what is important is the implementation," Mr Zaki said.
Asked if Egypt believed both sides would honour their commitments, he said: "We hope so. What else can we do?"
Earlier today, an Israeli air strike killed four members of the Islamic Jihad militant group near the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis.