Hamas offers one-year truce with Israel (Extra)

Jan 26, 2009, 12:53 GMT

Gaza City - Hamas has offered Israel a one-year truce, a senior official in the radical Islamic movement ruling Gaza said Monday.

Hamas accepts a one-year 'hudna,' or truce in Arabic, if this included guarantees that Israel will lift its economic blockade of Gaza and 'completely' reopen its crossings of the strip, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on the telephone.

Hamas made the offer in talks in Cairo with Egyptian officials, who are mediating between it and Israel. The two do not recognize each other and refuse to hold direct negotiations.

Other reports quoting Egyptian officials involved in the truce talks have said Israel wants a longer-term truce.

They said that militant factions in Gaza have rejected an Israeli demand for a truce of as many as 10 years, but are 'studying' a proposal for one of 18 months and expected to submit their response 'soon.'

Hamas truce negotiator Ayman Taha told al-Arabiya television station' based in Dubai that 'Israel hinted it might accept an 18-month truce with Hamas (in exchange) for reopening Gaza's crossings and partially lift the blockade and not completely, which Hamas rejects.'

'The siege should be lifted completely,' he said.

Egypt had brokered a six-month truce that expired December 19, one week before Israel launched a 22-day military offensive in Gaza. Hamas had refused to extend the truce, charging Israel had violated its commitment to gradually lift its blockade of the strip.

Israel in turn had said it initially did ease its blockade, but reimposed it in response to ongoing rocket attacks from the strip.

Taha said the new truce should have 'better' terms.