Tel Aviv - The Egypt-Gaza border crossing of Rafah will be open only to humanitarian aid as part of a tentative, 18-month truce agreement between Israel and the radical Islamic Hamas movement ruling the strip, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday.

Hamas announced Thursday that the long-awaited truce will be declared within three days.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev would not comment.

But the Israeli newspaper reported details of the agreement. Regarding the Rafah crossing, Yediot Ahronot reported that the security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will have a presence at it and other crossings with Israel, along with representatives of Hamas.

As for the economic sanctions, Israel will allow in 80 per cent of the goods that entered Gaza before it imposed its blockade.

Items that will still not be allowed in include pipes, machines and other raw materials liable to be used to manufacture rockets and explosives. There is still an argument between the sides regarding other products such as cement, concrete and construction iron.

According to the daily, Israel worked out with Egypt a 200-metre security zone on the Gaza border. It had originally demanded 500 metres.

The sides will also "expedite" negotiations on a prisoners swap, the would see the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured in a June 2006 Hamas-led cross border raid from Gaza.

Amos Gilad, the senior Israeli Defence Ministry official who is leading the negotiations on Israel's behalf, is due in Egypt again early next week, possibly to finalize the agreement.

Yediot said he will present to Egypt the list of goods that will be allowed into the strip. A Defence Ministry spokeswoman said she had no details.

Egypt has been mediating the terms of a new, long-term truce between the parties, which do not recognize each other, during and since Israel's deadly and destructive,
22-day Gaza offensive, which ended January 18.

Israel launched the offensive after an earlier, six-month truce also mediated by Egypt collapsed in early November and militants resumed their rocket barrages at its southern towns and villages. (dpa)