Truce

Hamas leader Meshal: No Shalit deal before Gaza truce

Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshal on Tuesday accused Israel of thwarting Egyptian efforts to reach a truce in the Gaza Strip by adding conditions to the deal at the last minute.

Meshal made his comments in reference to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's insistence that no truce could be reached with Hamas until an agreement has been set for the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit.

Hamas official: “Shalit, truce, could be concluded after Israeli elections”

A senior Hamas official stated Sunday that he expects that a truce with Israel could be declared after the Israeli elections next Tuesday, and that the issue of the captured soldier, Gilad Shalit, would also be concluded, the Maan News Agency reported.

Gilad Shalit - Image by AP
Gilad Shalit - Image by AP

'No truce while Gaza under siege'

Hamas says Israel has not yet taken the necessary actions for a lasting truce, slamming Tel Aviv for its continued blockade on the Gaza Strip.

"The enemy gave opaque and incomplete answers through Egypt that do not amount to a lifting of the blockade," the Palestinian movement's political leader Khalid Mashaal said on Friday.

An Argument for Israel's Guilt: Jerusalem Broke the Truce

It certainly looks like the truce was working for four months. What happened? Israel continued to assassinate Hamas leaders, and then engaged in a bloody operation in Gaza. As reported in the US News and World Report:

لَقِّم المحتوى