Israeli Minister Pessimistic On Gaza Cease-Fire Talks

An Israeli minister has sounded a pessimistic note on the prospects of expected indirect talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on fixing a Gaza cease-fire, Israeli media has reported.



Israel Radio on Saturday "ed Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich as saying that he is not optimistic about the prospects of the talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis in Cairo.



It said the minister asked about whether the negotiations could continue.



Israel's recent offensive on the Gaza Strip ended with the announcement on August 26 of an open-ended cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian resistance factions.



The devastating 51-day offensive on Gaza left some 2,147 people dead and 11,000 injured – the vast majority of them civilians – while leaving thousands of residential structures in ruins.



According to Israeli figures, 67 Israeli soldiers and five civilians were killed over the course of the operation – the highest military death toll suffered by Israel since it lost 119 troops in its 2006 war on Lebanon.



The Palestinians and the Israelis agreed to resume indirect talks on fixing the cease-fire as well as other issues, including the desire of the people of Gaza to have an airport and a deep sea port, the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and the reconstruction of Gaza within a month, according to Palestinian officials.



Aharonovich said his country would respond with force to any cease-fire violation on the part of the Palestinians, Israel Radio said.



Egypt has not officially invited the Palestinians or the Israelis to resume the indirect cease-fire talks in Cairo yet. It is not clear when these talks will start either.



On Wednesday and Thursday, an Egyptian official delegation conducted talks both in Ramallah and Tel Aviv on the resumption of the cease-fire talks and the entry of humanitarian aid and construction materials to Gaza, according to an Egyptian official.



By Abdel-Raouf Arnaout



englishnews@aa.com.tr



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