Rumors, denials fly about long-term Israel-Gaza truce
Just the suggestion that a long-term truce could be in the works between Israel and the Gaza Strip factions has Palestinians fired up.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Several Israeli media outlets, along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have been circulating rumors that Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip are negotiating a long-term truce with Israel under Egyptian brokerage. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) deny such talk.
Leaders of those factions did visit Cairo on Dec. 2, following Egypt's call for deliberations to cement the latest cease-fire agreement reached with Israel in November. The talks also followed up on the latest developments regarding other truce understandings reached in October 2018, and on issues of internal Palestinian reconciliation and general elections.
But Hamas and the PIJ denied in press statements Dec. 10 having even received any suggestions for a long-term truce with Israel from an international mediator or party, and dismissed the news as false. They accused Netanyahu of promoting these ideas to exploit them in electoral campaigning for the third Israeli elections, scheduled for early March.
PIJ leader Ahmad al-Mudallal spoke to Al-Monitor about his group's rejection of any long-term truce with Israel.
