Hamas leaves Egypt, pending further talks for peace in Gaza

After agreeing to a 5-day truce with Israel, Hamas officials have left ongoing cease-fire talks in Cairo to consult movement leader Khaled Meshaal in Qatar, the state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Friday.

The delegation will be back early next week to resume negotiations, according to Al-Ahram.

The talks seek to end Israel’s deadly Operation Protective Edge, which has claimed nearly 2,000 Palestinian lives since the assault began on July 8, and broker a long-term peace between both sides.

An Egyptian-authored cease-fire initiative is the basis of the negotiations, said the privately owned Al-Shorouk newspaper. A key point in the proposal is to end Israel’s blockade on the embattled Palestinian enclave by opening the Israel-Gaza border, according to regulations agreed on by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel.

The proposal also dictates that Israel and the PA would coordinate Gaza’s needed financial resources.

According to the terms of the initiative, Israel’s buffer zone in the north and east of Gaza would be replaced by PA security forces as of January 2015.

Other measures include increasing the fishing area in Gaza's waters to 6 nautical miles, which would increase gradually to 12 miles. Israel would also support the PA in rebuilding Gaza's infrastructure and treating those injured in the current military operation.

The Egyptian initiative stipulates a return to the negotiation table a month after the agreement enters into force to discuss other issues, such as a swap of both prisoners and dead bodies, and making Gaza’s airport and maritime port operational as per the Oslo accords.

However, Israel has said it would only consider allowing a seaport and airport to open in Gaza if Hamas laid down its arms, a condition that Hamas is not likely to agree to, a source told Al-Shorouk.

The Palestinian delegation has been liaising with Egypt’s General Intelligence Services. While Egypt's initial cease-fire proposal was condemned at the beginning of the conflict for not putting Palestinian demands into consideration, Hamas leaders have recently shown more appreciation for Egypt’s role in brokering a truce.

Khalil al-Hayya, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said in a press conference at Gaza’s Shifa hospital that Egypt is making considerable efforts in the negotiations.