This marks another phase of a truce in a protracted diplomatic war.
A truce now, if Hamas really did stop its fire, could be presented to voters as the successful rehabilitation of Israeli deterrence.
For the first time ever, all 193 members of the United Nations have signed the traditional Olympic truce, a throwback to the ancient games.
He recalled earlier face-to-face meetings with senior Israeli officials and mused that if the then opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu came to power, Israel and Hamas might negotiate a truce.
Kouchner told French television he is pushing for a lasting truce.
It has been wisely negotiating with Syria via Turkey, and engaging Hamas on a truce deal through the mediation of Egypt.
Brown was furious that the crowd outside had refused to honor his white flag of truce earlier in the day. He told Sinn that his men could have killed unarmed men and women, but did not do so.
Last year, Mr Ma declared a "diplomatic truce", meaning an end to the chequebook contest for recognition.
By offering no clear alternatives to the scotched peace deal, Mr Abhisit may be leaning that way, urged on by royalist backers who see no need for a truce.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said he hopes truce efforts will succeed.
But whereas the Israelis argued for their troops to stay in place during the early days of the truce, Hamas demanded their immediate withdrawal from Gaza as the price of halting rocket fire.
When a messenger that he had sent under flag of truce was killed, his troops burnt the Summer Palace to the ground.
The possible end this week of a truce between Hamas and Israel can only make things worse.
The government's decision to end a 2002 truce agreement with Tamil rebels came as virtually everyone acknowledged that the pact existed only in name.
But in mid-May they accepted a truce.
We will transact with them for truce.
