Russia has said it hoped a ceasefire in Gaza would lead to “long-term stabilisation” and create the conditions for a “comprehensive political settlement” between Israel and the Palestinians, AFP reports.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters the deal was an “important practical step towards the long-term stabilisation in the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation”, and that it could be the basis for “the establishment of a process of comprehensive political settlement of the Palestinian problem”.