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'No ceasefire until Gaza siege lifted,' says Hamas official

August 6, 2015 at 1:59 pm

A senior Hamas official said on Wednesday that his movement will not agree to a ceasefire with Israel until the government in Tel Aviv lifts the siege of the Gaza Strip siege completely.

“After the Israeli war on Gaza last year,” said Mahmoud Al-Zahar, “we will not accept a ceasefire agreement until the full lifting of the blockade.” He made his comments to Hamas supporters during an event in Gaza City.

“Israel has to lift the siege because we cannot prevent a man who has lost his home and whose family has been killed to respect any ceasefire agreement,” he explained.

Holding Israel responsible for the lack of any reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, Al-Zahar added that it must allow the entry of all necessary construction materials to rebuild the devastated enclave.