gaza conflict israel and hamas agree to extend ceasefire by five days

8/11/2019 Gaza Conflict Israel and Hamas Agree to Extend Ceasefire by Five Days

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Gaza conflict: Israel and Hamas agree toextend ceasefire by five days

A Palestinian man looks at the damage to a building in Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Photograph: Ibrahim Khatib/Demoti/!orbis

Jason Burkein GazaCity, Patrick Kingsleyin Cairo, and Orlando Crowcroftin TelAvivWednesday 13 August 2014

Hamas and Israel have agreed ive more days! tru"e to allo# urther tal$s ater a tenseinal "ountdo#n to the end o the "urrent %2&hour "easeire on Wednesday night'

The "urrent tru"e, #hi"h is the eighth (id to end the iveee$ long #ar, had (een dueto e)*ire at midnight, and ro"$et ire on Israel t#o hours (eore its end *rom*ted earso resh violen"e'

There #as "onusion immediately ater the e)tension o the "easeire #as su**osed to"ome into ee"t as #ell, #ith a series o ro"$ets targeting southern Israel and Israelimilitary laun"hing air stri$es in Gazain retaliation'Hamas, the Islamist organisation in *o#er in Gaza, had earlier denied they hadlaun"hed ro"$ets'

There #ere no immediate re*orts o "asualties on either side'Gamal +ho($y, the alestinian am(assador in Cairo, told the Guardian shortly (eoremidnight there #ould (e a ive&day "easeire to give more o**ortunity or negotiation'-We are very "lose (ut there are still some things to resolve'-

The ne#s #ill (e #el"omed in Gaza, (attered (y a month&long "onli"t #hi"h inli"tedmassive damage on inrastru"ture and housing, as #ell as $illing nearly 2,000 *eo*le,mostly "ivilians' +i)ty&our Israeli soldiers died, and three "ivilians in Israel #ere $illed
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/13/gaza-conflict-israel-hamas-extend-ceasefirehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/13/gaza-conflict-israel-hamas-extend-ceasefirehttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/jasonburkehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/gazahttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/patrick-kingsleyhttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/orlando-cowcrofthttp://www.theguardian.com/world/gazahttp://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/8/13/1407964918006/Man-in-Rafah-011.jpghttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/jasonburkehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/gazahttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/patrick-kingsleyhttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/orlando-cowcrofthttp://www.theguardian.com/world/gazahttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/13/gaza-conflict-israel-hamas-extend-ceasefirehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/13/gaza-conflict-israel-hamas-extend-ceasefire


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(y ro"$et ire'

The t#o sides, tal$ing through .gy*tian mediators, a**eared to have made *rogressduring the three days o tal$s, although signii"ant ga*s remain (et#een their*ositions, alestinian oi"ials in Gaza and Cairo said earlier in the day'

+in"e the tru"e "ame into ee"t on +unday, Israel has halted military o*erations inGaza and grou*s (ased there in"luding Hamas and several smaller Islamistorganisations have sto**ed iring ro"$ets'

The most re"ent "easeire #as meant to give the t#o sides time to negotiate a moresustaina(le halt in hostilities #ith tal$s over a *ossi(le longer&term *ea"e *lan or theterritory (eing *ost*oned or later dis"ussions'

Continued violen"e #ould hinder humanitarian aid rea"hing Gaza and restri"t oodsu**ly' +anitation systems, ele"tri"ity net#or$s and roads have all (een (adlydamaged in the #ar'

Azzam al&Ahmad, the head o the alestinian negotiation team in Cairo, (lamed Israelor the ailure to rea"h a *ermanent agreement'

-/e"ause the Israeli delegation hasn!t (een in Cairo or the #hole %2 hours, eventhough #e!ve (een here, an agreement hasn!t (een rea"hed,- he said'

-We had t#o o*tions not to rea"h an agreement, or to e)tend the "easeire' And in theinal minutes #e de"ided to e)tend the "easeire (y ive days until onday'-

The t#o sides #ere "loser than ever, *arti"ularly on allo#ing more goods into Gaza,and on the rights o Gazan ishermen to ish in the editerranean, Ahmad said, (ut

there #ere still *oints o dieren"e, relating to -se"urity- issues a *ro(a(le reeren"eto Israel!s demand that Hamas disarm and the (uilding o a sea*ort and air*ort inGaza'

Gaza has (een under an Israeli (lo"$ade sin"e 200 #hi"h has sent unem*loymentand *overty soaring'

.asing, or entirely liting, the (lo"$ade is a main aim or the alestinians, andes*e"ially Hamas'

Ahmad said the alestinian delegation #ould no# travel to the West /an$ to "onsult

#ith the alestinian *resident, ahmoud A((as, ater 10 days in Cairo' The Israeliteam has lo#n (et#een Cairo and Tel Aviv every day'

uring the evening, a Hamas&run television "hannel in Gaza 5uoted Ismail Haniyeh, asenior *oliti"al oi"ial in Hamas, *ledging su**ort or the delegation in Cairo'

-The threats o the enemy leaders only in"rease #ith our *eo*le!s demands and the*rin"i*al demand is the liting o the (lo"$ade,- Haniyeh said'

The "hannel also (road"ast images o Hamas ighters *re*aring ro"$ets, #hi"h it said


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#ere still (eing made in Gaza'

The sea*ort or Gaza, agreed in *rin"i*le more than 20 years ago, has (e"ome aleading issue'

I "ontrolled (y the alestinians, it "ould transorm the lives o Gaza!s 1'6 million*eo*le #ho have (een una(le to trade and travel reely sin"e Israeland .gy*tim*osed tight (order restri"tions in res*onse to a Hamas ta$eover o theterritory in 200%'/ut Israel is "on"erned a *ort #ould allo# militant grou*s in Gaza to rearm'

Hamas has re"overed rom *revious rounds o violen"e #ith Israel, in"luding a ma7orthreeee$ ground o*eration in 8anuary 2009 and another #ee$&long air oensive in2012' It no# "ontrols an arsenal o thousands o ro"$ets, some #ith long ranges and*o#erul' ore than 3,000 ro"$ets have (een ired to#ard Israel during the #ar'

Currently only a(out 13,000 Gaza residents #ith s*e"ial "learan"e, su"h as *atientsand traders, "an leave the territory ea"h month through land "rossings into Israel and.gy*t' :irtually all e)*orts rom Gaza are (anned'

It a**ears li$ely that .gy*t #ill agree to ease restri"tions on its (order #ith Gaza ise"urity or"es rom the alestinian Authority ta$e "ontrol o "rossings'

/oth sides in the tal$s are under *ressure to "on"lude a deal' es*ite the rhetori"threatening rene#ed "onli"t, o*tions or (oth Israel and Hamas are limited' Hamas isisolated di*lomati"ally and #ea$ened inan"ially' Israel!s anti&missile deen"e systemshave *roved ee"tive and Hamas!s *o*ularity in Gaza *rom*ted (y the #ar "ould e((5ui"$ly'

In Israel, many #ere sur*rised (y the "asualties sustained (y troo*s #ho enteredGaza to see$ and destroy "ross&(order tunnels' A ne# military o*eration involving amore am(itious de*loyment o ground or"es into densely *o*ulated ur(an areas#ould (e e)tremely "ostly or troo*s and "ivilians and #ould (e li$ely to *rovo$e glo(aloutrage'

/inyamin ;etanyahu, the Israeli *rime minister, s*o$e #ith the ahiya'

+imone Camilli, a 3?&year&old video 7ournalist #or$ing or the Asso"iated ress ne#sagen"y and Ali +hehda A(u Aash, 3, died #hen an une)*loded ?00$g (om((elieved to have (een dro**ed in an Israeli air stri$e e)*loded at a "olle"tion dum* ormunitions'

-@ou "ould hear the e)*losion ive miles a#ay,- said aher Halevi, "hie o *oli"e atthe /eit >ahiya station #here the team #ere (ased'
http://www.theguardian.com/world/egypthttp://www.theguardian.com/world/egypt


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The #ar (egan on 6 8uly ater a surge o ro"$ets laun"hed (y Hamas on Israel' Israel(lamed Hamas or the $idna**ing and murder in 8une o three Israeli teenagers in theWest /an$' Israel later sent in ground troo*s to destroy Hamas! underground "ross&(order tunnels'

The Israeli military #as re*orted to have "alled u* additional reserve soldiers and

reinor"ed troo*s along the (order #ith Gaza on Wednesday aternoon'

A s*o$esman told the Guardian that a num(er o reserves that had (een on -rest andre"u*eration- had (een "alled (a"$ u* or a"tive duty, (ut he #ould not reveal theirnum(ers'

A alestinian Authority oi"ial s*ea$ing to mourners gathered at a uneral tent o aman $illed (y Israeli troo*s near ;a(lus in the o""u*ied West /an$ earlier this #ee$said that the alestinian delegation had (een sur*rised (y .gy*t!s hard line'

Hamas oi"ials in Gaza #ere also "riti"al o the .gy*tians' The organisation, anoshoot o the uslim /rotherhood, is seen (y Cairo as a se"urity threat'

8onathan +*yer, senior resear"h ello# at the Glo(al esear"h in International AairsCentre in Herzliya, said that, or Israel, a deal #hi"h mirrors the .gy*t "easeireagreement ta(led early in the "onli"t #ould (e a""e*ta(le to the Israeli *u(li"' Thatdeal #as re7e"ted (y Hamas, #hi"h "laimed it had never (een sho#n it'

-ie(erman, said that Israel must deeatHamas even at the "ost o another "onlagration'

-Israel "annot aord a #ar o attrition,- >ie(erman said in a meeting #ith distri"t headsin /at Hadar' -I the "urrent "easeire is heading to#ards "olla*se,- Israel must -ta$ethe initiative, even i it means a signii"ant es"alation'-

Posted by Thavam
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gaza conflict israel and hamas agree to extend ceasefire by five days

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