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Gazans reject Israel's calls to disarm

Gaza's factions appear to be united in rejecting Israel's demand that the area should become a weapons-free zone.
Palestinian militants from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian (PFLP) take part in a military show in Gaza City September 2, 2014. An open-ended ceasefire between Israel and Hamas-led Gaza militants, mediated by Egypt, took effect on August 26 after a seven-week conflict. It called for an indefinite halt to hostilities, the immediate opening of Gaza's blockaded crossings with Israel and Egypt, and a widening of the territory's fishing zone in the Mediterranean. 
REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinians believe it's necessary that the Palestinian resistance remains armed as long as the Israeli occupation persists in the Palestinian territories. They are convinced that the resistance's disarmament will lead to further losses of their rights.

Cease-fire talks between the resistance in the Gaza Strip and Israel, under the auspices of Egypt, collapsed multiple times before both parties reached an agreement on Aug. 26. A Palestinian source familiar with these talks told Al-Monitor that they had repeatedly failed because of "Israel's insistence on disarming Gaza."

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