A senior Palestinian official affirmed on Thursday that the armed Palestinian factions has agreed on a limited ceasefire with Israel.

Khader Habib, Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza, told reporters that representatives of national and Islamic factions, who met with Prime Minister Ismail Haneya in Gaza on Thursday night, has agreed on a limited ceasefire with Israel.

He stressed that the ceasefire is mutual and synchronous, noting that "Israel stops its military operations in Gaza and the West Bank, while Palestinian militants stop firing rockets at Israel."

"The agreement also needs the acceptance of both Fatah and Hamas movements," he added.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian woman, member of al-Qassam Brigades, armed wing of Islamic Hamas, blew herself up on Thursday evening amid a group of Israeli soldiers in northern Gaza Strip and wounded four of them, Palestinian eyewitnesses and security sources reported. 

The sources said that Fatema al-Najjar, a 55-year-old member of Hamas armed wing, carried an explosive belt and walked towards the Israeli army forces, who are operating into northern Gaza Strip, and blew herself up.

An Israeli army spokesman confirmed that a Palestinian female suicide bomber blew herself up near an Israeli army force east of Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza Strip, and wounded four Israeli soldiers.

Shortly before the suicide bombing attack, three Palestinians were killed in two separate strikes in northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian security sources said.

Two militants, who were in a car traveling in northern Gaza Strip, were killed when an Israeli aircraft fired one rocket that had directly hit the car, the sources said.

A third Palestinian was killed in Israeli artillery shelling on northern Gaza Strip.

Palestinian medics said the death toll of Palestinians that were killed in a daylong of violence with Israelis reached to seven, including the suicide bomber woman, four militants and two civilians.

On Monday, the Israeli army launched a ground military operation into northern Gaza Strip, where 12 Palestinians have been killed and more than 20 others wounded in the latest Israeli operation.

As Palestinian militants continued to launch rockets against southern Israeli cities, Israel decided on Wednesday to continue its military operations in Gaza.

(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2006)