Hamas: Indirect contacts on cease-fire with Israel still in making

Two Hamas leaders said Monday that indirect contacts with Israel to reach a permanent cease-fire in the Gaza Strip are still in the making and have not reached a final stage.

Zeyad Zaza, a senior Gaza-based Hamas leader, told Xinhua that the current talks to declare a stabilization of a truce with Israel "are still under discussions, dialogues and proposals and didn't reach a stage of maturity."

The senior Hamas official, who was a deputy prime minister in the Hamas government in Gaza, denied that the Islamist movement held a meeting of its Shura (advisory) Council to agree on a final draft of a long-term cease-fire agreement with Israel.

"This is totally untrue," Zaza said. "Hamas' conditions to approve an agreement are based on opening all the crossing points, allowing all materials for the Gaza reconstruction and building up a seaport that will be Gaza's gate to the world."

Any agreement to stabilize a truce with Israel "should count on the cease-fire agreement reached in Cairo on Aug. 26 last year, he said.

Ahmed Yousef, another senior Hamas official from Gaza, also told Xinhua that Hamas Shura Council has not convened to debate a truce agreement with Israel.

"Nothing new has been accomplished in this respect and all that happened this time is presenting papers and ideas that are discussed but it hasn't reached the status of maturity," Yousef said.

Asked about earlier reports that a high-ranking Hamas delegation is planning to travel from Gaza to several countries in the region, he said "Hamas leaders would like to visit Egypt and other Arab countries."

"Until now, Egypt hasn't given an answer yet to allow a senior Hamas delegation to cross through Egypt's Rafah crossing point with Gaza," said Yousef.

On July 8, 2014, Israel launched a military operation on the Gaza Strip. The offensive ended after Egypt mediated a truce between Israel and Hamas-led armed groups. The war left more than 2,140 people dead and over 10,000 wounded, with major damage to houses, infrastructure, industry and agriculture.

Four days ago, Hamas officially announced that its leaders held meetings with former international Quartet envoy Tony Blair to stabilize a long-term truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier reports said that Hamas Shura Council, the decision making body of the Islamic movement, convened in Gaza to decide on the final draft of a long-term truce deal with Israel.

According to the reports, the agreement stipulated that Hamas stops all its military actions against Israel for eight years, and in return, Israel agrees to open a sea pass for Gaza under its control and completely end its blockade.