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11/22/2024 07:35:04 am

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Hamas: No Ceasefire Until Gaza Blockade is Removed

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaa

(Photo : REUTERS) Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal talks during a news conference in Doha July 23, 2014.

Palestinian group Hamas urged citizens of Gaza to have "more patience" since they do not see any sign of development in the proposed cease-fire.

The group already stated their requirements before accepting Egypt's proposal, which include lifting the blockade on Gaza and freeing dozens of Palestinian soldierswho were captured in the West Bank.

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Hamas said that unless these requirements are fulfilled, they would not stop their attacks and they will continue to fight for the freedom of trapped Palestinians.

However, Israel justice minister Tzipi Livni said Israel will not stop its ground attacks if Hamas will not withdraw its military forces from the strip. Israeli soldiers were also advised to prepare for a bigger offensive.

U.S.  Secretary of State John Kerry, went to Cairo, Egypt on Monday, to promote a plan for a truce and then flew to Israel on Wednesday to further discuss the proposal. Still, there no sign of a breakthrough that might put an end to the war.

The conflict began when Hamas pushed for the lifting of the blockade that Israel and Egypt placed on Gaza Strip which trapped 1.8 million Palestinians within a 363-square-kilometer land and paralyzed its economy.

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said that over 680 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is in Tel Aviv, said that rockets and missiles have gone missing in a school in Gaza and that he demanded an investigation of the incident.

"Those responsible are turning schools into potential military targets, and endangering the lives of innocent children, U.N. staff and anyone seeking shelter," General Ban Ki-moon said.

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