GAZA: Palestinian resistance groups have agreed to halt rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and to renew their commitment to an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire with Israel in exchange for opening Gaza’s crossing points, a Hamas spokesman said yesterday.
Ayman Taha, the spokesman, said that the agreement was reached yesterday morning and the factions would wait to see when Israel will reopen the crossing points into Gaza. Taha added that the meeting was held after he had received a telephone call from Egyptian Intelligence on Friday, in which Israel said that it will open the crossing points into Gaza if the resistance groups halted rockets attacks into Israeli border towns. “We have met the factions in Gaza and briefed them about this letter…the factions were interested in easing of the blockade and committed themselves again to the cease-fire,” Taha said. “There were no talks on extending the cease-fire agreement which expires next month.”
Israel completely closed all the Gaza Strip crossing points after an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire that went into effect on June 19 was rocked on Nov. 4 by a series of Israeli military operations and the ensuing rocket-fire from Gaza by armed Palestinian resistance groups.
The six-month cease-fire agreement stipulate that Israel must open the crossing points into Gaza, and the Palestinian factions halt cross-border attacks.
