Kerry: Hamas Must Disarm To Achieve A Solution İn Gaza

United States Secretary of State John Kerry has described diplomatic efforts to halt the violence in Gaza as explosions continued to rock the Palestinian territory.



Talking to journalists in Washington D.C. on Monday, Kerry reiterated President Barack Obama's statement that any lasting settlement must include the disarmament of Hamas.



He has just returned from Paris and the Middle East, where the U.S., Egypt, Turkey and other partners attempted to broker a lasting ceasefire in the run up to Eid, the celebrations marking the end of Ramadan.



Despite renewed shelling and fighting on Monday, Kerry noted that the momentum generated by the humanitarian ceasefire would be the best way to achieve a sustainable ceasefire that addressed long-term and underlying concerns. 



A 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire succeeded as a result of the discussions, said Kerry, who added that "misunderstandings" resulted in the breakdown of the truce.



He said the ceasefire had been primarily struck to allow Israel and the Palestinians to work through an Egyptian initiative for solution of crisis.



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