Hamas: Sinai buffer zone reinforces siege

The buffer zone which the Egyptian army is planning to implement along the borders between Sinai and the Gaza Strip reinforces the Israeli siege on the coastal enclave which has been in effect for more than seven years, Senior Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said yesterday.

Hamdan stressed that Gaza has nothing to do with the unstable situation in the Sinai Peninsula, noting that the Palestinians are keen to maintain a strong relationship with Egypt.

He said that the buffer zone reinforces the state of incitement against the Palestinians and called for the Egyptian authorities to put pressure on Israel to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip, hinting to links between the attacks in Sinai and Israel.

About the indirect Palestinian-Israeli talks on reinforcing the ceasefire deal, Hamdan said that the Egyptian intelligence had informed Hamas of the postponement without giving any reasons.

The Hamas official said this would give Israel a golden opportunity to sabotage the political efforts, which could improve the lives of those in Gaza.