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Ya'alon: War did not end and strikes might resume

August 13, 2014 at 1:18 pm

Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon said that the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip has not ended yet and strikes might resume because he cannot predict if a deal would be agreed or not.

Arabs 48 news website quoted Ya’alon as saying, “Operation Protective Edge has not ended yet, but Hamas and the other factions have received a strong hit.” He noted that the harm caused to the Palestinian resistance fighters is more than that caused in the previous wars of 2012 and 2008/2009.

Speaking during a visit to an Israeli naval base in Ashdod, he also said that he was not sure whether or not a deal could be reached before midnight on Wednesday or if the talks could be expanded. He expected a resumption of strikes and insisted that his troops are ready to carry out operations.

The Israeli website Walla! reported the head of the Palestinian delegation to Cairo, Azzam Al-Ahmad, as saying that there was some kind of progress, but gaps are still wide.

Al-Ahmad said that the Palestinians are still demanding the establishment of sea and airports because these were agreed previously with the Palestinian Authority (PA). He also said that the Hamas era in the Gaza Strip had ended and Israel has to completely cooperate with the PA.

He suggested that there is still a possibility of reaching a comprehensive deal before Wednesday midnight, but the path remains long.

Walla! also quoted sources close to the delegations in Cairo, who are expecting an extension of the 72-hour truce in order to allow for more time to bridge the gaps between the two sides.

The Israeli website also reported that the Palestinian delegation is refusing to discuss the issue of the two captured Israeli soldiers, believed to have been arrested in Gaza, calling it a different issue that the two sides should discuss separately.