Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Saturday evening announced a unilateral ceasefire in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, beginning from 2 a.m. (0000 GMT) Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert speaks at a press conference after security cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv, on Jan. 17, 2008. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Saturday evening declared a unilateral ceasefire in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, beginning from 2 a.m. (0000 GMT) Sunday. The declaration came shortly after Israeli security cabinet voted in favor of a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Cast Lead Operation had been going on in the past three weeks, killing more than 1,200 Palestinians. [Xinhua Photo]

The announcement came shortly after Israeli security cabinet voted in favor of a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Cast Lead Operation had been going on in the past three weeks.

The decision means Israel has put an end to the operation without an agreement with Hamas, relying instead on the support of the United States and Egypt in battling weapons smuggling into Gaza, said local daily Ha'aretz.

At a press conference in Tel Aviv, Olmert said that the goals of the operation in Gaza had been "met in full."

The Jewish state has repeatedly said that the goals of the operation are to deal Hamas a harsh blow, force the militant group to put an end to anti-Israel activity and stop weapon smuggling from Egypt to Gaza through tunnels.

"We have reached all of our objectives in Gaza," said Olmert, adding that Hamas has been dealt a heavy blow by IDF, and Hamas leaders are now in hiding.

Most rocket launching areas in Gaza are now controlled by the IDF, said the prime minister, adding "No doubt that without Cast Lead Operation, we would not have reached our goals."

"We reached agreements with Egypt on fighting arms smuggling," he added.

Olmert said that if Hamas entirely ends its rocket attacks on Israel will consider the withdrawal of IDF from Gaza. But he did not say the exact time for the possible withdrawal.

However, if Hamas continues to fire on southern Israel, the IDF will continue to operate in order to protect Israeli citizens, the prime minister said.

"If Hamas returns to their unruly attacks, they will be surprised again by the hand of Israel -- I don't advise them to try it," he warned.

Hamas had underestimated Israel's decisiveness, and was still not fully aware of how badly it had been damaged, said Olmert, noting that "Our fight is not with the people of Gaza."