Israel officially confirmed Wednesday that a cease-fire with the Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip will begin this week in an effort to end a year of fighting that has killed more than 400 Palestinians and seven Israelis. The cease-fire is slated to begin Thursday and will be followed next week by Israel easing its blockade of Gaza, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said. Talks to release an Israeli soldier held by Hamas will then intensify, Regev said. The confirmation came as Israel on Wednesday also urged Lebanon to open peace talks, the latest in a flurry of developments aimed at easing the multiple conflicts in the region.

Egypt, which brokered the talks between Israel and Hamas, announced a six-month agreement on Tuesday, saying it would begin Thursday at 6 a.m. local time. Hamas confirmed the deal shortly afterward. But there was no official confirmation from Israel until Wednesday.

"Thursday will be the beginning we hope of a new reality where Israeli citizens in the south will no longer be on the receiving end of continuous rocket attacks," Regev said. "Israel is giving a serious chance to this Egyptian initiative and we want it to succeed."

Egypt has committed as part of the deal to stop the smuggling of arms and weapons from its territory into Gaza, Israeli defense officials said. A U.S. military engineering corps is to aid the Egyptian efforts, the officials said.

If Israel determines that Egyptian anti-smuggling efforts are serious, Hamas, Egypt and European officials will begin talks on opening Gaza's main gateway, the Rafah crossing into Egypt, Israeli defense officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the sensitive talks were still in progress.

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, "We in Hamas are committed to what we have declared." The group, which has tight control of power in Gaza, has said all the area's militant groups would abide by the truce.

The Israeli envoy to the talks, Amos Gilad, said the truce is "not a peace agreement."

"A calm means that there is no type of terror, there is no difference if it comes from 'a' or 'b,'" Gilad told Army Radio. "It's clear that if there won't be attacks on us, the army activity will be in accordance."

Illustrating the fragile situation, minor violence continued Wednesday. Six rockets and mortars were fired toward Israel early Wednesday, the army said. No injuries were reported.

Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, saying it was avenging Israeli airstrikes that have killed 10 militants in the previous two days. Four Islamic Jihad members were among the dead.

The truce is meant to end a violent cycle of Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli air and land strikes that have intensified over the past year since the Islamic Hamas took over Gaza.

It also is meant to improve the lives of ordinary Gazans who have been hurt by tough Israeli economic sanctions meant to pressure Hamas to halt the attacks and weaken its standing in Gaza.

The blockade has caused widespread shortages of fuel, electricity and basic goods in the impoverished territory of 1.4 million Palestinians. The daily rocket and mortar attacks on Israel's southern communities have disrupted the lives of thousands there.

The talks were brokered by Egypt because Israel, like much of the international community, shuns Hamas for refusing to recognize Israel or denounce violence.

Some Israeli officials have criticized the cease-fire, saying it will strengthen Hamas.

"A calm brings a great accomplishment for Hamas," Cabinet minister Meir Sheetrit told Army Radio on Wednesday "They prove that their determination and the war and the continued attacks on Israel help them achieve what they want."

Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 with the idea that the action could end the rocket attacks and lead the way toward a peace agreement. But chaos grew in the coastal territory, leading to the Hamas takeover last year and rocket fire has persisted almost unabated.