Egypt invites Israel, Palestinians to renew ceasefire talks

Negotiations next week expected to focus on providing relief to Gaza population

By ToI Staff and AFP 20 October 2014, 11:16 am

Edit

Hamas deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk (center) shakes hands with the head of the Palestinian delegation Azzam al-Ahmad (left) upon their arrival at a Cairo hotel after a meeting with senior Egyptian intelligence officials, August 11, 2014. (photo credit: AFP/Khaled Desouki)

Egypt has invited Israel and the Palestinians to resume ceasefire negotiations in Cairo next week, nearly two months after the sides ended fighting in Gaza.

The talks are expected to focus on providing relief to Gaza’s population following the 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas that has left many homeless and without running water, Israel Radio said, citing a Palestinian report.

The talks would resume where a single day of negotiations left off in late September in Cairo, as the sides briefly convened ahead of several weeks of religious holidays.

The indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian factions, mainly Hamas, are meant to reach a long-term ceasefire after a six-year period that has seen three wars in Gaza and thousands of deaths.

Israel wants the Strip demilitarized while Hamas has demanded that a blockade on the enclave be lifted.

Last week, a donor conference in Cairo raised $5.4 billion toward reconstructing Gaza, and the first trucks carrying building supplies began entering the strip under joint Palestinian Authority-United Nations supervision.

However, before Israel allows supplies to enter and reconstruction to get underway in earnest, it is expected to seek guarantees from the PA that the funds will be used appropriately and not diverted to Hamas, which Israel has accused in the past of using international aid to fund its terrorist activities.

For his part, PA President Mahmoud Abbas pledged transparency in the way the funds will be used, “in full coordination with UN agencies, donor countries and international financial institutions.”

Abbas has reportedly also reached an agreement with Hamas for his security forces to take control of Gaza’s border crossings, which was a key demand of both Israel and Egypt for opening their borders.

Over 2,100 people were killed during the fighting in Gaza, according to Palestinian and and UN tallies, and 72 people killed in Israel. Israel says half of the dead were Hamas and other gunmen.