[News] Egypt claims to have brokered ceasefire agreement - Palestinian resistance groups say they were not consulted

[Anti-Imperialist News]

  Egypt claims to have brokered ceasefire agreement; Palestinian
  factions say they were not consulted

author Tuesday July 15, 2014 11:13author by Celine Hagbard 
<http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ih/9781156469613>-*http://www.imemc.org/article/68481*

    The Israeli security cabinet reportedly agreed to a ceasefire
    agreement on Tuesday proposed by the Egyptian government, but
    leaders with the Palestinian resistance said that no one had
    contacted them to negotiate any ceasefire.

According to Israeli military reports, the alleged ceasefire proposal 
would require the Israeli military to end its aerial and naval 
bombardment of the Gaza Strip that has been constant for the past week, 
while Palestinian armed factions would be required to stop firing 
homemade shells into Israel.

Despite claims of having agreed to a ceasefire, Israeli bombardment 
continued to pound Gaza on Tuesday morning.

The armed wing of the Hamas party, the Izz-al Deen al-Qassam Brigades, 
claimed that the ceasefire agreement amounted to a 'surrender', and that 
no representative of Hamas or any other armed resistance group had been 
involved in the negotiations. Therefore, the group said, they would 
continue their resistance to Israeli aggression in Gaza.

The supposed agreement does not meet the four key elements reiterated by 
Hamas leaders in recent days. These requirements include the lifting of 
the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip, which has led to the unemployment 
rate of 80%, the sealing of all borders and the prevention of aid, 
construction materials and fuel, as well as staple goods, from entering 
Gaza.

Ismail Haniyeh <http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ih/9781157611400>, the 
elected Prime Minister of the Palestinians people who has not been 
recognized by Israel because of his association with the Hamas party, 
said on Monday, "The Gaza blockade must be lifted so that our people 
live in freedom like all other peoples around the world."

Egyptian officials negotiated with Israel, apparently without involving 
Palestinians in the negotiation of the proposed ceasefire. Despite the 
lack of involvement, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with the Fateh 
party urged rival parties to accept the agreement.

Hamas officials stated over the weekend that Egypt was an unacceptable 
negotiator for any ceasefire negotiations, and only Turkey or Qatar 
could be considered as potential negotiators of a ceasefire.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah 
<http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ih/9786136880945>al-Sisi has kept the 
Egyptian border with Gaza closed over the last week, apart from one 
opening to allow critically wounded patients through. This has led to 
widespread disapproval of Egypt as a negotiator among the Palestinian 
populace of Gaza, who have not had any way to escape the near-constant 
bombardment that began on July 8th.

In the two weeks prior to July 8th, 13 Palestinians had been killed by 
Israeli soldiers and settlers.

In the week since, 195 Palestinians have been killed, including three 
babies under age two, and several families that were totally wiped out.

2 Israeli girls were wounded on Monday night by a Palestinian shell, the 
first such injuries in the week of escalation. One of them, age 10, was 
wounded critically, according to Israeli sources.

Over the past week of escalation, at least 1,385 Palestinians have been 
wounded, many with head injuries, amputated limbs, permanent 
disabilities and embedded shrapnel. They include a four-day old infant, 
who was critically wounded by Israeli forces on Tuesday morning.

More than 180 Palestinians have been killed and 1,385 injured since 
Israel launched Operation Protective Edge against Gaza exactly a week ago.

Early on Tuesday evening, as Operation Protective Edge entered its 
second week, Israeli air strikes and rocket continued to strike Gaza 
even while reports of the ceasefire began to emerge.

Hamas rockets also continued to fly toward Israel where they have 
largely caused minor injuries and damage. Monday evening saw the most 
serious incident of the week-long conflict so far with two sisters -- 
aged 10 and 13 -- being hospitalised following a rocket attack. The 
younger sister, 10-year-old Maram Wakili remains in critical condition.
-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org
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