- Title: EGYPT: Hamas leader Meshaad demands Israel ends Gaza blockade for truce
- Date: 19th November 2012
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (NOVEMBER 19, 2012) (REUTERS-ACCESS ALL) EXTERIOR OF SYNDICATE OF JOURNALISTS SIGN READING IN ENGLISH AND ARABIC "Syndicate of Journalists" NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS, PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURES HAMAS POLITICAL LEADER KHALED MESHAAL STANDING FOR MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR LIVES OF VICTIMS VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HAMAS POLITICAL LEADER, KHALED MESHAAL, SAYING: "The people of Gaza demand that their legitimate demands are met. That Israelits aggression, assassinations and invasions, and to end the blockade of Gaza." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HAMAS POLITICAL LEADER, KHALED MESHAAL, SAYING: "Our enemy wished to try out its weapons and the strength of their iron fist to market them and reassure the Israeli people that there can be more wars. But the people of Gaza must all rest assured, that despite the blockade, the limited weapons Gaza possesses caught them off guard. The weapons that they (Israel) have been developing in the past years did not work." CAMERAS FILMING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HAMAS POLITICAL LEADER, KHALED MESHAAL, SAYING: "We Palestinians today must end divisions. We must unite through the unification of our institutions, systems of governance and the Liberation Organization (PLO). We should have one leadership, one political program based on resistance and maintaining the fundamentals and Palestinian goals." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HAMAS POLITICAL LEADER, KHALED MESHAAL, SAYING: "I call on international rights groups, as Netanyahu has touched civilian blood, the blood of children and women. I call on them to expose these Israeli crimes which are considered to be war crimes." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
- Embargoed: 4th December 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Egypt
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA96SJ6KET2RV0L4WAJGR6M9JCC
- Story Text: Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal says Israel must lift the blockade on Gaza in exchange for a truce.
The exiled leader of the Palestinian group Hamas said on Monday (November 19) that Israel must halt what he described as its attack on the Gaza strip and lift the blockade of the Palestinian territory in exchange for a truce.
The truce, which Meshaal said the Israeli government was seeking, is being mediated by Egypt in an effort to bring an end to six days of fighting between the two sides.
"The people of Gaza demand that their legitimate demands are met. That Israel ends its aggression, assassinations and invasions, and to end the blockade of Gaza," he told a news conference in Cairo.
Meshaal also said that Gaza's weapons had caught Israel off guard and that Israel had failed their mission in Gaza.
"Our enemy wished to try out its weapons and the strength of their iron fist to market them and reassure the Israeli people that there can be more wars. But the people of Gaza must all rest assured, that despite the blockade, the limited weapons Gaza possesses caught them off guard. The weapons that they (Israel) have been developing in the past years did not work," he said.
Meshaal also called on Palestinians to unite and end divisions, referring to the split between Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank based Fatah of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"We Palestinians today must end divisions. We must unite through the unification of our institutions, systems of governance and the Liberation Organization (PLO). We should have one leadership, one political program based on resistance and maintaining the fundamentals and Palestinian goals," he said.
"I call on international rights groups, as Netanyahu has touched civilian blood, the blood of children and women. I call on them to expose these Israeli crimes which are considered to be war crimes," he added.
An Israeli official has dismissed claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked for a truce.
The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza during Israel's on-going offensive reached 100 on Monday, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said.
Israel puts its death toll since Wednesday at three civilians - two men and a woman killed by a rocket fired from Gaza. Police say more than 60 people have been wounded.
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