By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Hamas said a truce deal with Israel is almost complete.
Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said "we are close to declaring an agreement on the calm, barring unforeseen developments."
Another Hamas official said the two-phase deal could start as soon as Thursday. He says it will begin with a three-day cessation of hostilities. Then Israel will open a border crossing with Gaza to let in raw materials banned under a months-old Israeli blockade.
He said the second phase would focus on Hamas' returning a captured Israeli soldier. In exchange, Israel would reopen Gaza's main gateway, the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
He spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been finalized.
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