Israel Agrees to Extend Ceasefire; Hamas Vows to Renew Fighting
JERUSALEM (Worthy News)– Israel has reportedly agreed to extend the current ceasefire in Gaza Strip Wednesday as indirect Israel-Palestinian negotiations over extending a truce in Gaza got underway in Cairo. However, Hamas was quick to deny the reports, saying it will renew fire at Israel as soon as the current lull has ended, Ynet News reported. Meanwhile, EU powers proposed Gaza rehabilitation in exchange for disarmament.
According to Reuters, Israel has conditionally agreed to extend a ceasefire that ended a month of fighting in Gaza beyond a Friday deadline, an Israeli official said on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official did not say for how much longer Israel had agreed to extend the truce, only that: “Israel has expressed its readiness to extend the truce under its current terms,” referring to the deal brokered by Egypt that took effect on Tuesday.
A senior Cairo-based Hamas official said late on Wednesday there was no agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians over the extension of a 72-hour Gaza ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday. — Source
EU Proposes Gaza Reconstruction in Exchange for Hamas Disarmament
Germany, France and Britain presented Israel with an initiative to rehabilitate the Gaza Strip, subject to an international supervision apparatus that will prevent the rearmament of Hamas and other terror groups in the Strip.
The proposal by the three European states is an answer to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demand for the disarmament of Hamas during the fighting in Gaza.
The ambassadors of Germany and France and the deputy ambassador of Britain, who met with National Security Adviser Yossi Cohen in Jerusalem on Wednesday, gave him a two-page document of principles for international agreement about the Gaza Strip. Earlier the three had a similar meeting with senior Foreign Ministry officials. — Source
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