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Hamas suspends Shalit negotiations

Gaza: Hamas has suspended negotiations over the release of abducted soldier Gilad Shalit due to Israel's lack of respect for the truce, a London-based daily quoted a senior Hamas member as saying on Friday.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 13:31 July 4, 2008
  • Gulf News

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Gaza: Hamas has suspended negotiations over the release of abducted soldier Gilad Shalit due to Israel's lack of respect for the truce, a London-based daily quoted a senior Hamas member as saying on Friday.

"It makes no sense for us to begin negotiating on the matter of Shalit's release when Israel is not committed to the calm," Hamas official Moussa Abu-Marzouk told the Al Hayyat .

In his interview with Al-Hayyat, Abu-Marzouk accused Fatah of orchestrating the rocket attacks in order to sabotage Hamas.

Israel closed its commercial crossings to Gaza on Friday, a day after a Qassam rocket fired from the coastal territory struck near the western Negev town of Sderot.

It was the sixth incident of rocket fire since a fragile Egyptian-brokered cease-fire went into effect on June 19.

Abu-Marzouk also called on Egypt to intervene to ensure that the rocket fire stops.

Israel allowed 150 trucks carrying medical and food aid into Gaza on Thursday, before shutting the border.

Since the start of the truce, both Israel and Gazans have violated the terms, according to which militants pledged to cease rocket fire and Israel said it would gradually lift its siege of Gaza.

Israel has hinged its adherence to the cease-fire on negotiations for the release of Shalit, who was kidnapped from his Israel Defense Forces post by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid in June 2006.

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