Qassam urges withdrawal from Gaza talks

"If our demands are not met, including the creation of a seaport, negotiators must withdraw from the negotiations and end this game," Qassam spokesman Abu Ubaydeh said in a televised speech on Thursday. He called on Palestinian negotiators not to extend a ceasefire with Israel if the self-proclaimed Jewish state failed to meet the Palestinian demands. "The resistance is capable of imposing its own conditions and the conditions of our people," the spokesman said. An Egypt-proposed three-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Palestinian factions and Israel will expire at 0800am on Friday. The ceasefire was brokered following a month of incessant Israeli strikes against the Gaza Strip that left 1886 Palestinians dead and 9800 others injured. The attacks have also turned thousands of Gaza's buildings into mere rubble. Palestinian factions and Israel are currently holding indirect talks in Cairo for striking a long-term ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip, home to 1.8 million Palestinians, has been reeling under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2006, badly affecting the livelihood in the seaside enclave.