
File Photo: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly cabinet meeting in his Jerusalem office, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012 (Photo: AP)
Diplomatic sources told Al-Mayadeen TV on Tuesday that Israel had "initially accepted" four demands- while rejecting three others- of the joint Palestinian paper of demands for a ceasefire in Gaza Strip.
Tel Aviv rejected the Palestinian demands of re-opening of the Gaza airport, establishment of a seaport and guaranteeing the existence of a connection between the West Bank and the war-torn enclave.
On the other hand, the Israeli delegation approved ending the offensive on Gaza, lifting the blockade, granting fishing rights up to 12 nautical miles off Gaza's coast and releasing Palestinian prisoners.
Last Sunday, Palestinian representatives have agreed on a single list of demands to be discussed during Cairo talks to end the month-long Israeli aggression on the enclave.
The pan-Arab channel provided no further details on the rest of the Palestinian demands.
Other demands include lifting the Israeli-imposed no-go zone near the Gaza border fence, opening institutions and restoring confiscated public and private properties, ending aggression against Palestinians by Israeli settlers and reconstruction of the strip.
Members of the Palestinian delegation, headed by Azzam Al-Ahmed of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, include Ezzat Al-Rashq, Mohamed Nasr and Mousa Abou Marzouk of Hamas, Ziyad Nakhala of Islamic Jihad, Quis Abdel-Kareem of the Democratic Front, Maher Al-Taher of the Popular Front and Bassam Al-Salehi of the People's Party, in addition to Maged Farag, head of Palestinian intelligence.
Leading Islamic Jihad member Khaled El-Batash and Hamas members Khalil El-Haya and Emad Al-Alami arrived from Gaza on Tuesday to join the Palestinian delegation in Cairo for ceasefire talks, Palestinian sources told Egypt's state-owned MENA news agency.
Those officials had failed to leave Gaza earlier this week and attend the beginning of the Egypt-held negotiations due to continued Israeli shelling.
Egypt mediated a 72-hour truce on Tuesday between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian factions that officials hope will lead to further talks and a more lasting end to the Gaza war.
Israeli ground forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip ahead of the truce, with a military spokesman saying the main goal of destroying cross-border infiltration tunnels had been achieved, Reuters reported.
Based in Jerusalem, a Palestinian source told Ahram Online on Tuesday that Israel has agreed to send a delegation to attend ongoing ceasefire talks in Cairo, adding that most of the Israeli representatives are military generals.
The Israeli war on Gaza has led to the death of 1,834 Palestinians since it began on 8 July. Most of them are civilians.
Israel says 64 soldiers and three civilians have been killed in clashes and shelling in and around the enclave.
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