Peace deal must meet people's demands: Hamas
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Gaza: Hours after the truce between Hamas and Israel was extended for five days, Hamas has said it will not sign a peace deal with Israel that fails to meet the demands of its people.
Khalil al-Haya, the Palestinian group’s negotiator at the talks in Egypt seeking to stop fighting in Gaza, Thursday said they were negotiating with a difficult side "versed in procrastination".
"We are keen on having an agreement concluded. It must satisfy the demands of our people," said al-Haya during public address in which he briefed the people of Gaza on the progress of the talks.
Haya said Hamas would continue to demand the end of what he called "unjust incursions" and a permanent lifting of the siege imposed by Israel on Gaza in 2006.
A five-day ceasefire extension agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas in Cairo to give the two sides a chance to hold further consultations on a permanent truce.
The truce begins at 01.00 a.m. Thursday, after an earlier 72-hour truce mediated by Egypt was due to expire Wednesday midnight
However, just hours before the truce deadline, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel Wednesday evening.
In response, Hamas dismissed Israeli claims that its militants fired rockets at Israel.