Hamas tells Egypt it rejects Gaza ceasefire [View all]
Source: Guardian
Hamas as officially told Egypt that it rejects an Egyptian-proposed Gaza ceasefire, a spokesman for the Islamist group has said. "The outcome of discussions within the internal institutions of the movement was to reject the proposal and therefore, Hamas informed Egypt last night it apologises for not accepting it," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said on Wednesday.
Hamas's armed wing had already spurned the Egyptian plan on Tuesday, and Israel, which briefly halted its Gaza offensive, resumed attacks after cross-border rocket fire from the Palestinian territory persisted. Egypt claims it has not been involved in any negotiations since its proposed ceasefire in Gaza – which was accepted by Israel but rejected by Hamas – failed to gain traction on Tuesday.
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The Egyptian Administration may be wary of being perceived within Egypt to be negotiating too closely with Hamas. The government has led a year-long vilification of the Islamist group, due to Hamas's links with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, which was forced from office last July. Brotherhood officials have been accused of spying for Hamas, while Hamas itself was banned in Egypt, and constantly attacked in pro-regime Egyptian media for allegedly meddling in Egyptian affairs.
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/16/egypt-no-negotiations-gaza-ceasefire-israel-hamas
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