Five-hour “humanitarian” Gaza ceasefire starts Thursday at 10 a.m

Israel Wednesday night acceded to a UN request for a six-hour ceasefire in attacks from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.to allow the Gaza population to shop for food, visit hospitals and collect their pay checks. Hamas and other radical factions added their consent overnight. Jihad Islami has not sent in a reply to the UN. Israel warned that it will respond in kind to any Palestinians violations of the truce. The Palestinians directed heavy rocket fire at central Israel early Thursday. Heavy Israeli artillery and aerial fire pounhded Hamas and Jihad Islami in the southern Gaza towns of Rafah and Khan Younes.