A truce could be reached in the next hours

Youssef Abu Rizqa, political adviser of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh announced that several Arab countries are contacting  Hamas as they are mediating a truce between the Palestinian movement and Israel to put an end for the continuous Israeli Gaza Strip. Interviewed by Arabstoday, Rizqa said that Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh welcomed the Arab efforts to stop the Israeli offensive. Hamas' politburo chief Khaled Meshaal has arrived in Cairo to discuss these efforts along with an Israeli delegate. "Hopefully a truce can be reached within the next few hours," said Rizqa. Rizqa revealed that there is strong pressure exerted by some regional and international powers on both Hamas and Israel to agree to a truce, but the whole matter depends on Hamas and Israel. "We insist on a viable truce this time, such a truce should be officially guaranteed by international fronts," Rizqa explained. The Hamas adviser accused Israel of breaking the latest ceasefire by assassinating the leader of Hamas' military wing Ahmad al-Jabari last Wednesday. Rizqa said that Sunday -- the fifth day of the Israeli campaign -- was the most violent since Wednesday, adding that the Israeli army is trying to cause more human losses among the Palestinian resistance to make up for its failure to target military bases of the resistance groups. Rizqa also expected that the last few hours before reaching a truce will see the greatest violence, as the Israeli government would seek to convince the Israelis that the campaign succeeded. Rizqa hailed the visits from officials and Arab solidarity groups to Gaza during the days of the Israeli aggression. These visits, said Rizqa, were a major mental lift for the people of Gaza. Rizqa attributed the notable amount of solidarity with Gaza -- compared with what happened during the Israeli campaign of 2008 -- to the significant effect of the Arab Spring, including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Rizqa gave a special praise to the new leadership of Egypt, which he said has succeeded in "the test" the Israelis forced upon it with the aggression on Gaza. He expected that the Egyptian stance towards the violent Israeli conducts will get even stronger. Rizqa concluded that the people of Gaza have high expectations from the Arab world's efforts to stop Israel attacking the Strip and to lift the blockade imposed on the enclave since 2007.