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 After a last-minute agreement was stuck to extend by 24 hours a
deadline to reach a truce, Azzam al-Ahmad, senior leader of
President Mahmoud Abbas's mainstream Fatah movement, said there had
been "no progress on any point" in talks aimed at resolving the Gaza
conflict.
"We hope that every minute of the coming 24 hours will be used to
reach an agreement, and if not (successful), the circle of violence
will continue," Ahmad said.
He accused Israel of "maneuvering and stalling" as gaps on key
issues continued to dog efforts to achieve a long-term deal between
Israel and militant groups in the Gaza Strip, dominated by Hamas
Islamists, which would allow reconstruction aid to flow in after
five weeks of fighting.
An Israeli government official said Israeli delegates were still in
Cairo poring over details of a possible deal, although the parties
had not yet agreed a draft.
"The Israeli delegation has been instructed to insist on security
requirements. The moment there is an agreement, the cabinet will be
called for discussions," said the official, who asked not to be
identified.
Senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk accused Israel of stalling
and insisted in a post on his Twitter account that his group "will
never cede any" demands for a comprehensive deal.
A senior Palestinian official in Gaza said sticking points to an
agreement were Hamas's demands to build a seaport and an airport,
which Israel wants to discuss only at a later stage.
Israel, which launched its offensive on July 8 after a surge in
Hamas rocket fire across the border, has shown scant interest in
making sweeping concessions, and has called for the disarming of
militant groups in the enclave of 1.8 million people.
Hamas has said that laying down its weapons is not an option.
ISRAEL THREATENS STRONG RESPONSE
Hamas also insists that Israel free Palestinian prisoners while
Israel wants Hamas to hand over the remains of two soldiers killed
during the fighting.
Israel has signaled agreement to open Gaza crossings, which would
ease a blockade of the coastal territory and allow for a freer flow
of goods, and to extend maritime limits in the Mediterranean Sea.
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Israel made clear before the earlier truce lapsed that it would
continue to hold its fire as long as Palestinians did the same.
However, Netanyahu said on Sunday while visiting a naval port with
his defense minister that "the Israeli military is prepared to take
very aggressive action if shooting resumes" at Israel.
Israel and Hamas have not met face-to-face in Cairo, where the talks
are being held in a branch of the intelligence agency, with Egyptian
mediators shuttling between the parties in separate rooms. Israel
regards Hamas, which advocates its destruction, as a terrorist
group.
The Palestinian Health Ministry put the Gaza death toll at 2,016 and
said most were civilians in the small, densely populated coastal
territory. Sixty-four Israeli soldiers and three civilians in Israel
have been killed.
The United Nations said 425,000 people in Gaza have been displaced
by the conflict.
Israeli and Palestinian officials confirmed they had agreed to the
latest extension of the truce to give them time to pursue further
negotiations.
The latest truce is the third in 10 days when fighting was brought
to a halt.
(Additional reporting by Ori Lewis; Writing by Allyn Fisher-Ilan;
Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
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