Hamas Chief: Israel Asks For Truce

The exiled head of Hamas political bureau, Khaled Meshaal, said Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had asked for a truce in Gaza. He said that if the Jewish state wanted a truce, it should be the first to stop the fire. “Who started the war must stop,” he said at a press conference in Cairo.

Khaled Meshaal said Israel had not achieved its goals in Gaza because it had been taken aback by the Palestinian weapons. “The weapons of the resistance took the enemy by surprise,” he said.

Meanwhile, Egyptian mediators struggle to convince the Israelis and Palestinians to halt the fire. Within these efforts Meshaal met with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. Hamas has set his conditions: the lifting of the Israeli blockade and halt of “all forms of aggression, including targeted assassinations” This message was conveyed by Hamas leaders, including Meshaal. Thus, it seems unlikely that an immediate truce will be announced.