Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in Cairo will readdress the issue of a ceasefire and Israel´s Gaza blockade today as the clock ticks down to a 2100 GMT deadline ending a 72-hour truce.
By that time, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in the Egyptian capital must have either agreed on a permanent truce, accepted an extension or risk a resumption of more than a month of bloody fighting.
“There has been progress, but not enough to sign an agreement, the negotiations will resume tomorrow (Wednesday)”, a member of the Palestinian delegation told after the latest round of negotiations, without giving further details.
The Israelis flew back to Israel, airport officials said, for likely consultations with their government.
As Gaza´s residents ventured out into the quiet to try to piece together their battered lives, negotiators held a second round of indirect talks Tuesday aimed at finding a durable end to the five-week confrontation.
A senior Israeli official earlier told there was still a long way to go to agree an end to the conflict, which erupted on July 8 when Israel launched military operations to halt cross-border rocket fire from Gaza.
“The negotiations are difficult and gruelling,” a Palestinian official had said of Monday´s opening talks.
