Temporary truce between Palestinians and Israelis extended

Both the Palestinian and the Israeli sides agreed on Monday night to extend the five-day temporary truce by another 24 hours, in the hopes that they can agree upon a permanent ceasefire.

Fatah leader and member of the talks’ delegation Azzam Al-Ahmad confirmed to Anadolu news agency the extension of the truce.

Israeli media also reported on the news, citing Israeli officials.

Earlier in the day, informed Palestinian sources in Cairo told Anadolu that the Palestinian delegation had agreed upon an eight-point ceasefire proposal.

Egyptian sources reportedly said the 24-hour extension was agreed to allow for the Israeli side to discuss this proposal and then respond to the Egyptian mediators.

Israeli website Walla!, which is close to the Israeli army, confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and other intelligence officials to discuss the ceasefire proposal on Monday night.

According to Palestinian sources, the Palestinians accepted a ceasefire that includes lifting the siege of Gaza, opening all crossings, allowing the entrance of construction materials, expanding the fishing zone and reconstructing Gaza under the supervision of the Palestinian unity government.

The deal also includes an initial agreement on sea passage, but leaving the details to be discussed later on. The question of the prisoners would also be discussed later on, too.

However, Hamas’s senior official and member of the delegation Mousa Abu Marzouk denied the media reports that a deal had been reached. “There is no deal until now,” he told Anadolu. “All of what was taken by the media is not more than baseless and inaccurate leaks.”

He explained that the delegation agreed on the 24-hour truce extension to give one more chance for the possibility of reaching a permanent ceasefire. “[Monday] we exchanged opinions,” he said, “there is more than one proposal up for discussion.”