JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel confirmed Wednesday that it has agreed to a truce with the Hamas leaders who control Gaza.
On Sunday, Israel will gradually start to open its border crossings, Hamas officials said.
"We are hopeful that this will lead to a cessation of the daily rocket fire from (the) Gaza strip that Israelis have endured for so long," said David Baker, a spokesman for the Israeli government.
Militants in Hamas-controlled Gaza have pummeled Israel with thousands of rocket and mortar attacks, prompting Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territory.
The truce is scheduled to take effect Thursday, said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
"The calm will be achieved on day one," he said. "We hope it will last indefinitely."
Hamas officials said Tuesday that they had reached a six-month truce with Israel -- to take effect at 6 a.m. Thursday -- but Israel did not confirm the deal until Wednesday morning.
On Sunday, Israel will gradually start to open its border crossings, Hamas officials said.
A key factor in any successful truce, from the Israeli perspective, would be the release of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was kidnapped by Gaza militants in June 2006.
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Egypt has been trying to broker a truce between Hamas and Israel for several months.
Referring to the Egyptian mediation efforts, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said, "It's important to exhaust the possibility.
"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is prepared for any developments, but it is important to attempt to achieve a period of calm to bring back the peace and quiet for the (Israeli) people who live around Gaza in Sderot and Ashkelon and to try and renew negotiations for the release of Gilad Shalit."
Militants in Gaza have launched more than 2,300 mortars and rockets since the start of 2008 -- more than the 2,000 that were launched in all of 2007, according to Israeli military figures.
While most of the attacks do not result in casualties, three Israelis have been killed in rocket and mortar strikes in recent weeks.
The Israeli military responds to the attacks by carrying out airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza that target militants. Those operations have led to more than 300 civilian casualties this year, according to the United Nations -- further inflaming the Palestinian leadership.
Hamas seized control of Gaza last year after routing Palestinian security agencies under the control of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah movement. That forced Abbas to dissolve the Fatah-Hamas unity government.
Representatives from the rival factions met in Senegal last week for talks aimed at restoring the year-long political and territorial split.
Earlier this month, Abbas called for "national unity" talks with Hamas with the goal of producing new elections for the Palestinians, who elected a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority government in a U.S.-backed vote in 2006.
Meanwhile, Abbas' Western-backed government is still working toward a peace agreement with Israel, which the United States hopes to have secured by the end of the year. E-mail to a friend | Mixx it | Share
--CNN's Shira Medding and Atika Shubert in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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