Gaza ceasefire talks to restart next week

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are to resume talks on a durable Gaza ceasefire next week in Cairo, a senior official of the Islamist movement Hamas which rules the territory said Monday.
"Hamas and the Palestinian factions will take part in a session of indirect negotiations with the occupation (Israel) on the 27th of this month at the invitation of Egypt," said Hamas deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzuk.
He said on the movement's Al-Ray website that the Palestinians would from the outset demand the opening of a Gaza port and reopening of the territory's airport.
A source close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, contacted by AFP, gave no comment on the reported resumption of talks.
The two sides last month held their first Egyptian-mediated negotiations since the end in August of their devastating 50-day war in Gaza and agreed to schedule new talks for the last week of October.
The conflict killed more than 2,140 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and 73 on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers.
It ended on August 26 with an agreement to hold future talks on shoring up the ceasefire, with the Palestinians demanding an end to Israel's eight-year blockade of Gaza.
Source: AFP