Israeli minister: stop talks with Hamas

Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett called on his government to immediately stop indirect negotiations with Palestinian group Hamas for a long-term ceasefire in Gaza, which are set to resume in Cairo later Sunday.

“We must stop the negotiations with Hamas and take our fate into our own hands: Humanitarian aid yes, terror no," Bennett said during a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

“Israel would allow humanitarian aid to Gaza, such as food and medicines, but we will work against any weapon or tunnel,” he added. “Any other option binds our hands and brings next war.”

Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid, for his part, said that Israel should ensure that safety is restored to Israeli nationals before announcing the end of the operation in Gaza.

"Israel's residents should feel safe and we cannot end this operation without them feeling secure again," Lapid said.

Palestinian and Israeli negotiating teams arrived earlier Sunday in Cairo to resume indirect talks as the Egyptian-brokered five-day truce entered its fourth day.

The talks follow more than a month of Israeli attacks on the Palestinian territory, leaving nearly 1980 Palestinians dead and around 10,000 others injured.

The Israeli offensive had also left thousands of Gaza homes and buildings in tatter.

About 64 Israeli troops were also killed in Gaza combat, while three civilians were killed by rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, according to official Israeli figures.

The coastal strip, home to some 1.8 million Palestinians, has reeled under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007, which has badly affected residents' livelihoods.

Meanwhile, Palestinian resistance movement Hamas insisted on Sunday that Israel would "never enjoy security" until the years-long blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip was lifted.

"The only way to achieve security for Israelis is to achieve it for the Palestinians and to lift the siege off Gaza," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's security needs must be addressed in any long-term ceasefire deal with Palestinian factions as indirect talks continued between both sides in Cairo.

He said Hamas was "mistaken" to think that continued "sporadic firing" would cause Israel to make what he described as concessions, threatening Hamas with "very harsh blows as long as quiet is not restored."

Abu Zuhri dismissed Netanyahu's remarks as "media propaganda to cover up for his failure."

"It is enough for Netanyahu to have seen hundreds of his soldiers dead, injured or captured, while Palestinian resistance operations and rockets hit deep in the Israeli territory," he added.

Palestinian and Israeli negotiating teams arrived earlier Sunday in Cairo to resume indirect talks as the Egyptian-brokered five-day truce entered its fourth day.

A Palestinian source told Anadolu Agency that the Palestinian team would stick to the "resistance demands," including the end of Israeli siege and the establishment of a Gaza seaport.

The talks follow more than a month of Israeli attacks on the Palestinian territory, leaving nearly 1980 Palestinians dead and around 10,000 others injured.

The Israeli offensive had also left thousands of Gaza homes and buildings in tatter.

About 64 Israeli troops were also killed in Gaza combat, while three civilians were killed by rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, according to official Israeli figures.

The coastal strip, home to some 1.8 million Palestinians, has reeled under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007, which has badly affected residents' livelihoods.

Apart from killing hundreds of Palestinians and injuring thousands of others, the recent Israeli offensive on the Palestinian territory had left thousands of homes and buildings in Gaza in total ruin.