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Palestinian and Israeli negotiators have reportedly agreed to extend their truce deal in the Gaza Strip by five days, only minutes before their three-day ceasefire was about to expire at 21:00 GMT on Wednesday.
Officials from both parties have been in indirect talks in Cairo, with Egyptian mediators trying to find a peace solution to the conflict. Palestinian and Egyptian officials have said that they have reached a deal, but Israel has not commented on the new deal yet.
“We have agreed to give more time for the negotiations”, Azzam al-Ahmed, the leader of the Palestinian delegation in the Egyptian capital told AFP. He also told press personnel in Cairo that they needed more time to resolve “some” remaining disputes. The Palestinian delegation will leave Cairo tomorrow to consult with its leadership, it added.
Al-Ahmed also said that the ceasefire was meant to provide a “positive atmosphere”, and noted that in the past few days, there has been “lots of progress”.
Egypt’s foreign ministry also announced the extension, without giving any more details.
The ceasefire extension grants both sides more time to negotiate a more permanent deal and a plan to rebuild the Palestinian enclave.
Hamas wants Israel and Egypt to end their crippling blockade of Gaza imposed in 2007 – it has greatly limited the movement of goods and people in and out of the Palestinian enclave, with all exports being virtually blocked.
Israel had said that the blockade was to prevent the smuggling of arms into Gaza. The Israeli delegation will agree to a permanent deal and help reconstruct Gaza if it is fully disarmed.
Neither side will likely see that all of its demands are met, but the Egyptian proposal on Tuesday was reportedly met with mixed cheer. According to sources, the proposal had a section which suggested the partial removal of Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Reportedly, Hamas also want to re-open a port in Gaza.