ANKARA
Militant group Hamas has set out the conditions it requires before signing a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
Two days ago Hamas dismissed an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire on the grounds that it did not meet “our people's aspirations” or “the conditions of the resistance.” Israel initially accepted the terms.
According to Dr. Mehmet Sahin, an associate professor of international relations at Gazi University in Ankara, Hamas’ reaction was tempered by its distrust of Egypt nearly as much as Israel.
A previous Egyptian deal in 2012, under then President Mohammed Morsi, was broken by Israel. This followed the eight-day Pillar of Defense operation that saw at least 43 Palestinian civilians killed.
The past eight days of violence have claimed more than 200 Palestinian lives.
Sahin told the Anadolu Agency that Hamas does not believe the conflict can be solved through a ceasefire.
He said: "This is not the first time Israel has attacked Palestine. When a ceasefire is proposed, Israel agrees to it immediately pretending to be a peace dove."
He added: "Israel made Egypt propose a ceasefire and the blockade of the Gaza Strip is imposed both by Israel and Egypt."
Egypt was once a close ally of Hamas but since the coup by General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the country is no longer seen as an honest peace broker and the military regime is viewed as being more pro-Israel and anti-Islamist, Sahin said.
The al-Sisi regime has jailed thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters and sentenced hundreds to death since it came to power a year ago.
Hamas has set out a number of preconditions to a ceasefire:
- Lifting the economic blockade on Gaza.
- Reopening the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. The crossing is Gaza's only window to the outside world not under Israeli control but Egypt generally only opens the crossing for exceptional cases and for limited periods.
- The release of Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israeli prisons since June 12.
- Expanding the limited fishing area in Gaza.
- Israel not to intervene in Palestine's unity government, unveiled in June following a reconciliation between Hamas and rivals Fatah.
At least 209 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed and more than 1,500 injured since Israel launched Operation Protective Edge more than a week ago.
Gaza-based resistance factions have continued to fire rockets at Israel – some of which have reached Tel Aviv. One Israeli has been killed as a result of rocket fire from Gaza.
The operation is Israel's third major offensive against Gaza, home to 1.8 million Palestinians, in the last six years.
www.aa.com.tr/en
