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Hamas and Israel in indirect talks

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Israel is holding indirect talks with Hamas, Qatar’s Gaza envoy Mohammed Al-Emadi confirmed on Sunday.

In an interview with Chinese news agency Xinhua, Al-Emadi said: “There still is no agreement between the two sides, only contacts ahead of an agreement.” He said that Qatar had “demanded from the Israelis and the Americans the removal of the blockade on the Gaza Strip and we emphasised that. We are working on this but have not yet reached a result. We are looking for a permanent solution to the problems of Gaza and we want to prevent any new war” he added.

Al-Emadi referred in the interview to White House recommendations for rehabilitating Gaza including employment, infrastructure projects to boost Gaza’s water supply and increased electricity output.

The confirmation of Israel-Hamas talks follow increased violence on the Gaza border. A group of Palestinians breached the border fence in southern Gaza on Sunday afternoon, entering Israel and setting fire to IDF equipment at before returning back to Gaza.  No one was injured in the incident.

Forty-five fires were started in the Western Negev and Eshkol region as a result of a barrage of flying firebombs from the Gaza Strip. On Friday and Saturday, 15 fires broke out in the area around Gaza, including one that spread in a wooded area near Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

On Friday, approximately 2,000 Palestinians gathered in six locations along the border, and hundreds of them advanced in the direction of the fence and IDF soldiers deployed crowd – dispersal measures. Demonstrators threw stones, set tyres on fire and threw a hand grenade at IDF soldiers operating near the border on Friday. According to Palestinian sources, two Palestinians were killed, including a 13-year-old. The Israeli army has launched an investigation into the incident.