Hamas chief due in Cairo for Gaza truce discussions
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Hamas is scheduled to be in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to discuss a new ceasefire proposal.
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Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh delivers a speech in Tunis on January 8, 2012. (AP)
The head of the political bureau of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas is scheduled to visit Cairo for discussions on a new ceasefire proposal, while the Israeli occupation continues its aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip.
Ismail Haniyeh is set to participate in a meeting in Cairo on Thursday to deliberate on a proposed six-week truce plan. The plan was presented by senior Qatari and Egyptian officials during recent meetings in France.
According to a Hamas source cited by AFP, the proposed three-stage plan would commence with an initial six-week cessation of hostilities, facilitating increased aid deliveries into Gaza.
The source additionally mentioned that negotiations would focus on the withdrawal of Israeli forces, with potential subsequent phases addressing further exchanges of captives and prisoners. The deal also addresses the rebuilding of the area, as stated by the source.
Priority to end military aggression
In a press statement on Tuesday, the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, announced on Tuesday that the movement received a proposal for a ceasefire, after talks in Paris, and that they will be looking into it.
Haniyeh emphasized that the priority was to end the military aggression and achieve a withdrawal of Israeli Occupation Forces from Gaza.
He also affirmed that he would visit Cairo for discussions on the Paris proposal for a ceasefire, adding that the movement was open to all ideas that could achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.
Regarding the escalations and massacres, including the renewed aggression in the northern Gaza Strip, the leader reaffirmed the international community must live up to its obligations by pressuring the occupation to stop its massacres and crimes.
