RAMALLAH — The Hamas movement Sunday denied Arab and Israeli media reports of conducting indirect negotiations to ease blockade on Gaza Strip. Hamas said in a statement that “we can confirm that there are no negotiations, direct or indirect, with the (Israeli) occupation.” The movement added that “the only thing that happened after the ceasefire mediated by Egypt was that a delegation from Gaza met with the Egyptian side to begin the terms of the ceasefire.” Egypt mediated a ceasefire deal in November which ended eight days of Israeli air strikes on Gaza Strip and hundreds of Palestinian rocket attacks against Israel. The conflict saw 168 Palestinians and six Israelis killed. The Israeli Channel 2 television reported that Israel and Hamas are conducting negotiations, with Egypt serving as mediator between the sides, to ease the blockade of the Gaza Strip, including the possible opening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to construction materials and other staple items. Egyptian media reported Friday that an Israeli delegation composed of four officials met with officials from the Egyptian General Intelligence Service in Cairo Thursday to discuss a number of regional security issues as well as the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The reports said that the Israelis met with the Egyptian officials while the plane waited on the runway According to the Channel 2 report, the Israeli delegation's trip to Cairo was part of the indirect talks with Hamas. Israel and the West consider Hamas a terrorist movement. The Mideast Quartet, which comprises the US, the EU, the UN and Russia, has asked Hamas to recognize Israel, accept peace deals and abandon violence in exchange for an international recognition of the movement. Israel imposed an economic siege on Gaza Strip in June 2006 when Hamas-led armed groups kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a cross border raid near the enclave. Israel tightened the siege in June 2007, when Hamas routed security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and ousted his Fatah movement from the area. It calls its Gaza blockade a precaution against weapons reaching Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups by sea. Palestinians and their supporters say the blockade is illegal collective punishment.
