Hamas Says It Will Not Accept Mideast Cease-Fire Proposal
Officials of the militant group Hamas ended two days of scheduled talks with an Egyptian delegation in the Gaza Strip today, and said they were not prepared to accept a Mideast cease-fire proposal, despite strong pressure on the group to suspend its attacks on Israelis. “Cease-fire means surrender to occupation,” a senior Hamas official, Ismail Abu Shanab, told reporters in Gaza. Representatives of Hamas and other militant groups meeting in Gaza said they had demanded international guarantees for a halt to Israeli military strikes on their leaders before they would agree to stop their own attacks. Full Story