A senior Israeli defense official wrapped up a several-hour visit to Egypt on Sunday for talks with Egyptian mediators on a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and various Palestinian groups.
Amos Gilad, head of the Political-Military Bureau of the Israeli Defense Ministry, held talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who has been engaged in mediating between Israel and the Palestinian groups on the ceasefire talks, the official Egyptian MENA news agency reported.
During the meeting, they discussed "means to eliminate obstacles hindering reaching a truce between the Palestinians and Israelis," MENA quoted a well-informed Egyptian official as saying on condition of anonymity.
Suleiman is "exerting tireless efforts to bring closer Israeli and Palestinian views on reaching a ceasefire as soon as possible," said the official, urging the two sides to show necessary flexibility to reach the deal.
Egypt has been trying to broker a truce between the Palestinian groups and Israel to end their conflicts that may wreck U.S.-backed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), but no tangible results have been reached up to now.
On Saturday, Hamas said Israel's responses to the Egyptian offer for a ceasefire deal in Gaza were not encouraging.
Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan said the efforts to realize a lull collides with Israeli obstacles, adding the Israelis want "a free calmness, which does not include opening the crossings and breaking the siege."
Hamas is prepared to accept Israel's demand that the ceasefire begin first in Gaza and then in the West Bank, but does not agree to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who has been held hostage by Palestinian militants for about two years as part of the deal.
Israel wants to link Shalit's release with the opening of the Rafah crossing and implementation of the truce, but Hamas insists that these carry separate price tags.
Source:Xinhua
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