Palestine

Israel must end Gaza blockade: Hamas

375288_Hamas-GazaThe Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says any deal with the Israel regime must include Palestinian’s demand to end the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Khalil al-Haya, a senior member of the Hamas delegation at the Cairo talks, said on Thursday that the siege on Gaza must be lifted once and for all.

Hamas would continue to call for an end to the “unjust incursion” and the permanent lifting of the Gaza blockade, Haya also said in a public address briefing Gazans on the progress of Egypt-brokered talks.

“It was a war of necessity not a war of choice. We had no choice but to defend ourselves,” the Hamas official said, adding, “We are united ….. We are one front, one side, one body …. We are all engaged in one battle defending our people. The war is the beginning of liberation.”
He further noted that Palestinians also want the reconstruction of air and seaports in Gaza, saying that Hamas is now consulting with the Palestinian government and other factions over the issue.

His remarks came a day after the two sides agreed to extend a temporary truce in Gaza for five more days.

Haya said the fresh truce will help reach a lasting ceasefire deal with Israel.

Israel launched the latest war against the coastal enclave on July 8, killing at least 1,962 Palestinians, wounding at least 10,000 others.

Gaza has been blockaded by Israel since June 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standards of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.

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