CAIRO: Egypt is inviting Palestinian and Israeli officials to Cairo Thursday for talks on seeking a more permanent truce in the Gaza conflict, foreign ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said in a statement. The meetings should entail deliberation "on the necessary steps to consolidate [a] ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and to agree upon the package of procedures through which the Egyptian initiative will be implemented, including the necessary steps to lift the blockade and open the border crossings. The aims of the talks would be to seek a more lasting ceasefire between Hamas and Israel and lift the 18-month economic blockade on Gaza, a foreign ministry official told the MENA news agency. Egypt will hold separate talks with both sides. Although both sides have declared a ceasefire, sporadic attacks are still occurring in the Strip. Additionally, the current truce that Hamas declared is predicated on Israeli troops withdrawing from Gaza within a week. The difference between both sides stems from the timing of when to end the blockade; Hamas wants an immediate lift to the siege while Israel wants rocket fire aimed at Southern Israel to stop before lifting the blockade. Israel's war on Gaza, which began Dec. 27, has so far resulted in the death of more than 1,300 Palestinians and the injury of 5,500. Thirteen Israelis have died, 10 of them IDF soldiers.
