Update: Hamas leader says current terms proposed by Egypt for ceasefire rejected
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Hamas political bureau member Ezzat al-Rashq said on Saturday that the conditions proposed by Egypt for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza have been rejected so far by the Palestinian side, the Palestinian Safa news agency reports.

Rashq, who is a member of the Palestinian delegation currently holding negotiations with Israel in Cairo, says that what has been proposed so far from Cairo on Friday is not acceptable, asserting that the Palestinian delegation will not accept any agreement that doesn’t respond to the Palestinian people’s demands. 

Rashq said that Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Liberation Organization are currently in talks to determine their final position.

The Palestinian delegation is due back in Cairo Saturday night to resume negotiations on Sunday. 

According to other sources who talked to Safa, the Egyptian side had given the Palestinian delegation a new proposal before its departure, which included the postponement of negotiations over some of the Palestinian demands until a month after a permanent ceasefire is adopted. It also proposed the opening of the crossings between Israel, effectively lifting the siege imposed on Gaza since 2006.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders had announced earlier on Saturday that they would resume indirect negotiations with Israel in Cairo on Sunday, Agence France-Presse reports.

Hamas spokesperson Samy Abu Zahri told AFP that a final agreement could be reached if the Israeli side “stops stalling” and shows readiness to respond to the demands of the Palestinian delegation, the most important of which are to stop the current assault and lift the siege on Gaza.

As a 72-hour ceasefire was approaching its end last Wednesday, both sides agreed to extend the truce for five more days. The ongoing negotiations aim to reach a permanent solution for the ongoing fighting which has caused over 2,000 Palestinian deaths. Sixty-four Israeli soldiers and three civilians were killed.

Hamas officials had left Cairo on Friday to consult with movement leaders, announcing that they would be back early next week to resume negotiations.

The Israeli delegation has been flying between Cairo and Tel Aviv throughout the negotiation process.

Azzam al-Ahmed, the head of the Palestinian delegation in Cairo told the Guardian last Wednesday that the two sides were closer than ever to reach a final agreement, despite the presence of major differences. Ahmed said that the negotiations were close to reaching agreements regarding allowing more goods into Gaza, and the rights of Gazan fishermen to fish in the Mediterranean.

Youssef al-Hussayna, the spokesperson for the Islamic Jihad movement also told AFP that its representatives would return to Cairo on Saturday night to rejoin the negotiations. 

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