Palestinians say Israel 'stalling' truce talks before deadline

Palestinian officials accused Israel on Thursday of stalling truce talks as a 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza neared its end, saying they have not decided whether to extend it or resume fighting.

Egyptian mediators in Cairo were expected to meet with a Palestinian delegation later on Thursday to relay Israel's terms, with one Palestinian official saying the Israelis were "procrastinating."

Israel indicated on Wednesday it would be willing to extend the ceasefire, which expires at 0500 GMT on Friday.

But a Palestinian official in Cairo said the Israeli proposal amounted to just a ceasefire while refusing key Palestinian demands, which include an end to Gaza's blockade and the release of prisoners.

"The Israeli delegation is proposing extending the ceasefire while refusing a number of the Palestinian demands," said the official.

Another Palestinian official accused the delegation of "wanting to procrastinate and stall the negotiations."

In Gaza, a Hamas spokesman said no decision had been reached on renewing the ceasefire.

"As of now there is no official stance on renewing the truce or resuming the fighting," said Fawzi Barhoum.

Another Palestinian official close to the talks in Cairo said the factions think the talks could fail and "they will resume fighting tomorrow."

Obama: 'an opening of Gaza'

US President Barack Obama put pressure on intensive ceasefire negotiations in Cairo by saying Gaza could not remain cut off from the world forever.

"Long-term, there has to be a recognition that Gaza cannot sustain itself permanently closed off from the world," Obama told a news conference in Washington, saying the Palestinians needed to see "some prospects for an opening of Gaza so that they do not feel walled off."

Lifting the blockade is the main Palestinian demand in the ceasefire talks in Cairo.

Israel's Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon sounded a cautious note, saying it was not clear where the talks would lead.

"I'm not sure what the outcome will be of the current discussions in Egypt," he said.

EU force at Rafah?

London, Paris and Berlin tabled an initiative offering an outline for rebuilding Gaza while ensuring Israel's security concerns were properly addressed, a diplomatic source said.

The proposal aims to strengthen the hand of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority while clamping down on Hamas and other groups.

It proposes Abbas' security forces take control of border security in Gaza in conjunction with EU representatives and outlines a mechanism for preventing the rearming of fighters or the construction of new tunnels.

It also envisages opening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt then eventually opening other crossings to Israel. It also refers to the opening of a commercial port in Gaza, the source said.

Netanyahu on Wednesday said Abbas's Palestinian Authority had an "important" role to play in Gaza, particularly in the reconstruction efforts.

Scale of Gaza civilian deaths 'mustn't happen again'

The scale of civilian losses during the four-week conflict in the Gaza Strip must not happen again, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters after visiting Gaza, ICRC President Peter Maurer said he was "deeply distressed and shocked to see the impact of violence on the civilian population".

Palestinian officials say 1,886 Palestinians were killed during four weeks of fighting between Israel and Hamas. The United Nations has said more than 1,300 were civilians.

Israel lost 64 soldiers and three civilians, one of them a Thai agricultural worker.

Maurer indicated there may have been some violations of international humanitarian law.

"The law hasn't been accurately and ambitiously implemented in this armed conflict," he said.

"The Geneva Conventions have been designed to protect and assist people, and I cannot be satisfied ... when after four weeks of armed conflict we see the amount of destruction and the amount of victims."

The organisation would compile a confidential report and share recommendations with all sides "to ensure... this amount of victims" does not happen again, he told a news conference in Jerusalem at the end of a three-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

ICRC would also investigate the precise circumstances in which medical personnel and Palestinian Red Crescent colleagues were killed, he said.