Palestinian diplomats in Cairo said Hamas and Israel agreed Wednesday to a five-day extension of the Gaza Strip cease-fire to negotiate a more permanent truce, even as a barrage of rockets were lobbed at Israel and a deadly accident at a bomb disposal site killed a foreign journalist and five others in Gaza.
In Cairo, the head of Palestinian delegation, Azzam al-Ahmad, told a chaotic press conference “there’s been progress on many points,” but the two sides are still far apart on security issues.
The Israeli team returned to Jerusalem and the Palestinians would go back to Ramallah, they said, to consult with leadership. The Israelis made no official comment.
The talks have centered on Israeli demands that Hamas and other militant factions stop firing rockets from Gaza and digging tunnels to attack Israel.
But even as the truce was announced, Palestinian militants fired five rockets at Israel and Israel responded, targeting sites across the Gaza Strip, the Associated Press reported.
The Palestinians, including Hamas, want Israel and Egypt to open the border crossings for more trade and travel, end the blockade that has isolated the Gaza Strip from the world, allow for rebuilding after a month of widespread destruction.
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