Middle East

Israel dismisses Hamas truce offer

Article published on the 2008-04-25 Latest update 2008-04-25 07:21 TU

Egyptian soldiers close the Rafah border in January
(Photo : Reuters)

Israel dismissed Friday a phased truce offer by Hamas, an Islamist movement, as "not serious". Hamas proposed that it would implement a six-month ceasefire in exchange for an end to the blockade in Gaza. Israel has sealed off the Gaza Strip to all except limited humanitarian access since Hamas seized power from the Palestinian Authority last June. The situation has reached a crisis point with the UN halting aid Thursday after running out of fuel.

Senior Hamas official Mahmud al-Zahar said Thursday that the phased "period of calm" would start in Gaza first, then be extended to the West Bank after six months.

Hamas has been in talks with Egyptian officials in an effort to end the suffering of civilians who have been blocked from access to regular supplies for almost a year.

The proposal also includes a promise by Egypt to open the Rafah border crossing, if Israel does not accept the truce offer. The Rafah crossing is the only Palestinian border that abuts on Egypt, not Israel.

It has been closed for the past year, but in January Hamas members demolished the border and thousands of  Palestinians flooded into Egypt for supplies. It was resealed by both sides two weeks later.

Egypt has been working as mediator between Hamas and Israel. Israel considers Hamas a terrorist organisation and refuses to directly negotiate with it.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday that he would not hold talks with Hamas in the Palestinian territories.