Hamas: Gaza ceasefire talks to restart next week

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are to resume talks on a durable Gaza ceasefire next week in Cairo, a senior official of the Hamas movement said Monday.

"Hamas and the Palestinian factions will take part in a session of indirect negotiations with the (Israeli) occupation on the 27th of this month at the invitation of Egypt," said Hamas deputy leader Mousa Abu Marzouq.

He said on the movement's al-Ray website that the Palestinians would from the outset demand the opening of a Gaza port and reopening of the territory's airport.

Abu Marzouq told Ma'an via telephone that the talks would also focus on prisoners, reconstruction efforts, and other "unfinished cases and issues."

He said the same officials that took part in a previous round of Cairo negotiations would take part in this round.

Any step taken to ease the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip "will be met with a positive attitude," he added.

A source close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, contacted by AFP, gave no comment on the reported resumption of talks.

The two sides last month held their first Egyptian-mediated negotiations since the end in August of their devastating 50-day war in Gaza and agreed to schedule new talks for the last week of October.

The conflict killed more than 2,140 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and 73 on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers. more

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