AFP

Cairo

 

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators last night agreed to extend a temporary ceasefire in Gaza by 24 hours to conduct more talks on a long-term truce, Egypt and a Palestinian official said.

Hamas confirmed the extension, but blamed Israeli “obstinacy” in the gruelling negotiations.

A previous five-day ceasefire expired at midnight local time (2100 GMT).

“Both sides have agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire,” the official with the Palestinian delegation in Cairo said.

The official Egyptian Mena news agency later quoted an “official Egyptian statement” confirming the ceasefire’s extension.

The negotiations centre on an Egyptian proposal that meets some of the Palestinian demands, such as easing the blockade of Gaza, but defer other stumbling blocks to later negotiations.

Hamas had repeatedly warned it would not extend the ceasefire, pressing for immediate gains that would allow it to claim concessions from Israel after the devastating four-week war in July and August.

“The negotiations have faced difficulties because of the occupation’s obstinacy, and the 24-hour (extension) came as a result of a request by the mediators to have another chance,” senior Hamas official Ezzat al-Rishq wrote on Twitter.

Meanwhile, a UN envoy has said the UN is ready to check imports of construction material sent to Gaza in order to ease Israel’s concerns that supplies could be used to rebuild tunnels.

UN Mideast envoy Robert Serry told the UN Security Council that reconstruction of Gaza remained the main priority once a durable ceasefire is agreed between Hamas and Israel.

“Construction material must be allowed into Gaza to this effect - aggregate, bar and cement. And their access to Gaza must be facilitated in such a way that fulfills Israel’s security concerns,” Serry said.

“The UN stands ready to lend its support in this regard.”

Negotiations over the reconstruction of Gaza are expected to run into resistance from Israel which has in the past severely curtailed the flow of supplies as part of its blockade.

Israel argues that the material is being diverted by Hamas to build tunnels.

Serry said some 16,800 housing units have been destroyed or severely damaged in the fighting that erupted on July 8, with the devastation three times worse than during the last Gaza conflict in 2008-2009.

He voiced hope that UN monitoring could be agreed before a major donors conference announced by Norway takes place in Cairo to raise funds for reconstruction.

The Security Council discussed the situation in Gaza just hours before the Israeli and Palestinian negotiators agreed to extend the five-day truce by 24 hours in Cairo.

As diplomatic efforts intensified, Gaza’s health ministry said the death toll from the fighting rose above 2,000 as more people died of their wounds. The figures showed 2,016 people had been killed and 10,196 wounded.

Among the dead were 541 children, 250 women and 95 elderly men.

Separately, the Israeli army confirmed that five of its 64 dead soldiers were killed by “friendly fire”.