Palestinians to get Israel response on truce demands

Egypt will later Sunday notify Palestinian negotiators of Israel's response to Palestinians demands for reaching a durable ceasefire in the blockaded Gaza Strip, the head of the Palestinian delegation has said. "We will meet the Egyptian side later Sunday to know Israel's reply to our demands," Azzam al-Ahmad, also a leading member of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, said.
"We hope we can reach a final settlement within the next few hours," he added.
Palestinian and Israeli negotiating teams arrived earlier Sunday in Cairo to resume indirect talks as the Egyptian-brokered five-day truce entered its fourth day. The talks follow more than a month of Israeli attacks against the besieged Gaza Strip, leaving nearly 2000 Palestinians dead and more than 10,000 others injured. About 64 Israeli troops were also killed in Gaza combat, while three Israeli civilians were killed by rockets fired from the coastal enclave. Al-Ahmad said the Palestinians would not accept what he described as a "weak" agreement. He said any deal must fulfill the demands of the Palestinian people, including a suspension of the Israeli aggression, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and a total lifting of the blockade imposed by Israel since 2007.
By Gomaa Moselhi