08-11-2014, 01:23 PM
ANOTHER 72-HOUR TRUCE UNDERWAY -- PEACE TALKS RESUME IN CAIRO
![[Image: 2014811104225839360_20.jpg]](http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/Images/2014/8/11/2014811104225839360_20.jpg)
Gazans capitalize on the ceasefire, with residents returning to their homes and fishermen returning to sea
Israel and the Palestinians have begun indirect talks in Cairo to try and end the conflict in Gaza and lift the blockade on the coastal enclave, Egypt's state news agency MENA has said.
Egypt is acting as a go-between for the talks, which began on Monday a day after the two sides agreed to begin a new 72-hour truce.
Almost 12 hours into the truce, the skies over Gaza remained calm, with no reports of violations on any side and signs of life emerging from the war-torn coastal enclave which is home to 1.8 million Palestinians. Residents began returning to their damaged homes to see what belongings they could salvage and fishermen cast their nets out to sea.
This is the second round of indirect talks to take place in Cairo. The first failed to yield any results, and the temporary peace collapsed as the 72-hours drew to a close.
Egypt urged the warring sides to use the three-day lull to reach "a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire", which they failed to do last week.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said it would give the two sides "another chance to agree on a durable ceasefire" while stressing the importance of addressing "the underlying grievances on both sides".
Hamas has said that any permanent agreement must include Israel lifting its eight-year blockade on Gaza.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said in a radio interview on Monday that disarming "Gaza militants" was crucial to sustain a long-term truce and he hoped this could be done by diplomacy rather than force. "I certainly hope that there will be a diplomatic solution. If there will not be a diplomatic solution, I am convinced that sooner or later we will have to opt for a military solution of taking temporary control of Gaza to demilitarise it again," he told Israel Radio.
Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast...57535.html
Gazans capitalize on the ceasefire, with residents returning to their homes and fishermen returning to sea
Israel and the Palestinians have begun indirect talks in Cairo to try and end the conflict in Gaza and lift the blockade on the coastal enclave, Egypt's state news agency MENA has said.
Egypt is acting as a go-between for the talks, which began on Monday a day after the two sides agreed to begin a new 72-hour truce.
Almost 12 hours into the truce, the skies over Gaza remained calm, with no reports of violations on any side and signs of life emerging from the war-torn coastal enclave which is home to 1.8 million Palestinians. Residents began returning to their damaged homes to see what belongings they could salvage and fishermen cast their nets out to sea.
This is the second round of indirect talks to take place in Cairo. The first failed to yield any results, and the temporary peace collapsed as the 72-hours drew to a close.
Egypt urged the warring sides to use the three-day lull to reach "a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire", which they failed to do last week.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said it would give the two sides "another chance to agree on a durable ceasefire" while stressing the importance of addressing "the underlying grievances on both sides".
Hamas has said that any permanent agreement must include Israel lifting its eight-year blockade on Gaza.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said in a radio interview on Monday that disarming "Gaza militants" was crucial to sustain a long-term truce and he hoped this could be done by diplomacy rather than force. "I certainly hope that there will be a diplomatic solution. If there will not be a diplomatic solution, I am convinced that sooner or later we will have to opt for a military solution of taking temporary control of Gaza to demilitarise it again," he told Israel Radio.
Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast...57535.html