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PLO, Hamas differ over truce bid

July 29, 2014

The Palestinian Liberation Organization has claimed that Gaza is ready to observe a 24-hour "humanitarian ceasefire." But, Hamas, the group that runs Gaza, has denied this. Israel continues to pound the enclave.

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Gaza power plant
Image: Getty Images

A senior official of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) claimed on Tuesday that all armed factions in Gaza, including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, had accepted a ceasefire with immediate effect.

The claim from the PLO's secretary-general Yasser Abed Rabbo was promptly contradicted by Hamas spokesmen.

One of them, Sami Abu Zuhri said: "The resistance movement (Hamas) will be the one to announce its position" and not an aide to President [Mahmoud] Abbas.

"When we get an Israeli commitment with international guarantees regarding a humanitarian truce, then we will study it. But to declare a unilateral ceasefire while the occupying forces are killing our children, then this will not be," said Abu Zuhir.

There was no immediate comment on the PLO's claim from the spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mark Regev.

Heavy losses

The claim and counter-claim coincided with heavy losses in Gaza.

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra said more than 100 Palestinians had been killed on Tuesday. These included 26 who died during strikes on four homes, according to Palestinian health officials and the Palestinian Red Cross.

In the latest ground clashes, at least 19 Hamas militants and 10 Israeli soldiers were killed, according to initial reports.

PLO claim disputed

Rabbo had said, "After extensive calls and consultations with the brothers in Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian leadership announces on behalf of everyone the willingness for a ceasefire and humanitarian truce for 24 hours."

Rabbo said that he was calling on all Arab and international parties to support the PLO’s efforts and Israel would be responsible for refusing such an offer. He added that the PLO would also consider a United Nations call to halt atrocities for 72 hours.

Gaza electricity plant hit

During Tuesday's fighting, Israeli bombardments destroyed Gaza’s only power plant and demolished the house of Hamas' deputy leader, Ismail Haniya. Neither he nor his family was home when it was badly damaged.

The deputy head of Gaza's energy authority, Fathi al-Sheikh Khalil, spoke of potentially "disastrous" consequences for the coastal enclave of 1.8 million people, many of whom depend on the plant for electricity.

"We need at least one year to repair the power plant, the turbines, the fuel tanks and the control room," he said.

Even before the shutdown, Gaza residents only had electricity for about three hours a day.

The lack of electricity will also affect water supplies, since power is needed to operate water pumps.

Overnight, residents of central and southern Israel also spent a sleepless night punctuated by the wail of air raid sirens.

Toll rises

Since the fighting broke out three weeks ago, more than 1,130 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Gaza.

UNICEF in a summary released on Tuesday said the Gaza death toll included at least 239 chldren up the age of 17.

Fifty-three Israeli soldiers have been killed, as well as two Israeli civilians and a Thai national.

Rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza had injured at least 6 Israeli chldren, UNICEF added.

Israel has said it is defending its citizens against attack from Gaza by hitting Hamas rocket launchers, weapons storage sites and military tunnels under the Gaza-Israel border.

mg/ipj (AFP, dpa)