In Cairo, Palestinians await Israeli response

The Palestinian negotiating team is waiting in Cairo for Israel’s response to the conditions for a permanent ceasefire that it presented yesterday, Arab sources report.

The sources tell The Times of Israel that the Israeli team has returned to Israel with the list of demands prepared jointly by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah.

Meanwhile, Fatah and Egyptian leaders are making rigorous efforts to convince Hamas and Islamic Jihad to extend the temporary truce — of which about 18 hours now remain — by another 48 to 72 hours.

Currently, Hamas says it won’t agree to extend the ceasefire unless it receives a guarantee that Israel will acquiesce to some of its demands, which include the opening of a port in the Gaza Strip as well as the land crossings to and from Israel.

— Avi Issacharoff