BICOM

Hamas has decided to reduce violence on the Gaza border after reports that a comprehensive ceasefire agreement with Israel will soon be agreed.

An Egyptian delegation led by Ahmed Abdel Khalek, a senior Egyptian intelligence officer, was in Gaza on Thursday to mediate between different fractions to reach a truce arrangement in the Gaza Strip. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) met separately yesterday to discuss the Egyptian initiative. A joint statement was issued that said this weekend’s demonstrations would continue, albeit without violence.

PIJ spokesperson Daoud Shihab confirmed that “the marches will continue,” adding that “in the coming days new tactics will be adopted with regard to managing the marches and managing the conflict”.

Israel’s military is continuing its deployment along the border and is prepared for any scenario including attempted infiltrations and kidnapping.

Egypt has also offered the Palestinian Authority (PA) a new reconciliation proposal with Hamas. The Egyptians proposed to PA President Mahmoud Abbas that there be a gradual process in which the PA would first take over responsibility for the Gaza Strip’s governmental offices, and then be handed responsibility over the police and Hamas’s military wing a few years later. Cairo is reportedly waiting for Abbas’s response.

Jason Greenblatt, the US special representative for international negotiations, criticised Hamas for waging an unbridled campaign of incitement as the situation in Gaza descends into chaos. He wrote on Twitter that the Palestinian people are paying the price for Hamas’s policies and that they deserve a leadership that creates an opportunity for peace and future prosperity, not bloodshed and violence.