Israel, Palestine hold talks as truce takes hold in Gaza
12 Aug 2014 6:00 AM IST
Indirect talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators began in Cairo on Monday to find a long-term solution to the conflict in Gaza that has killed over 2,000 people as an Egyptian-brokered 72-hour ceasefire took hold in the Hamas-ruled territory.
The indirect talks are being mediated by Egypt and began a day after the two sides agreed to a new 72-hour cease-fire.
The Israeli military said that no rocket fire had been reported since the truce came into effect just after midnight.
After tense talks that both sides had threatened to abandon, the surprise truce announcement came late on Sunday. Militants in Gaza said they had fired several rockets towards Israel shortly before the truce got under way and Israeli air strikes had continued last evening, but the ceasefire has been respected since.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the Israeli military would be ‘ready to act to protect our people’ if Hamas violated the agreement.
A previous cease-fire ended on Friday when militant groups in Gaza resumed rocket attacks on Israel, provoking renewed airstrikes from the Israeli military.
Four weeks of violence has killed 1,939 Palestinians and 67 on the Israeli side since Operation Protective Edge began on July 8.
The lull in fighting will help humanitarian aid reach some of the victims of the Gaza conflict.
A high-ranking Israeli delegation is in Cairo for talks with Palestinian factions. The delegation had quit the talks after Gaza armed groups resumed their rocket fire at Israel immediately upon the expiry of an earlier 72-hour truce on Friday.
The indirect talks are being mediated by Egypt and began a day after the two sides agreed to a new 72-hour cease-fire.
The Israeli military said that no rocket fire had been reported since the truce came into effect just after midnight.
After tense talks that both sides had threatened to abandon, the surprise truce announcement came late on Sunday. Militants in Gaza said they had fired several rockets towards Israel shortly before the truce got under way and Israeli air strikes had continued last evening, but the ceasefire has been respected since.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the Israeli military would be ‘ready to act to protect our people’ if Hamas violated the agreement.
A previous cease-fire ended on Friday when militant groups in Gaza resumed rocket attacks on Israel, provoking renewed airstrikes from the Israeli military.
Four weeks of violence has killed 1,939 Palestinians and 67 on the Israeli side since Operation Protective Edge began on July 8.
The lull in fighting will help humanitarian aid reach some of the victims of the Gaza conflict.
A high-ranking Israeli delegation is in Cairo for talks with Palestinian factions. The delegation had quit the talks after Gaza armed groups resumed their rocket fire at Israel immediately upon the expiry of an earlier 72-hour truce on Friday.
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