Israel denies negotiations with Hamas over long-term truce

Israel on Monday evening denied reports that advanced negotiations with Hamas are taking place over a long-term ceasefire, a year after the war between them.

"Israel officially clarifies that it does not conduct any meetings with Hamas - not direct, not through other countries, and not through mediators," a statement from the Prime Minister's office read.

An Israeli official, who asked to remain anonymous, also denied to Xinhua any contacts between Israel and Hamas are taking place, adding that "if there are contacts, they are not on the behalf of (Israeli) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."

Israel's denial of the negotiations with Hamas comes a day after a senior Turkish official told the Gaza-based Al-Risalah newspaper that Hamas is about to sign a "comprehensive" agreement with Israel, which would include the end of the eight-year blockade on the Gaza Strip enclave and a long-term truce.

The Turkish official said Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal arrived in Ankara last week and updated Turkish officials over the status of the talks, adding that former British Prime Minister and member of the Mideast Quartet Tony Blair is also mediating them.

Despite Israel's denial of the contacts, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas on Monday afternoon did acknowledge that there are contacts between Israel and Hamas, with Arab media outlets quoting him as saying that the direct talks are held "in an African country."

Details of the so-called agreement also popped up in various Arab media outlets.

Last week, the London-based al-Hayat newspaper reported that the agreement includes allowing Gazans to import goods through a floating port to be operated three km off the coast.

According to al-Risalah, Israel would receive "live and dead" Israeli prisoners held by Hamas, including Ethiopian Israeli Avera Mengistu, who is presumed to be alive, and the remains of Israeli soldiers who died at last year's war.

Another report in al-Masdar Arabic newspaper charged Israel agreed to let thousands of Gaza laborers to enter Israel and work, in exchange for assurance from Hamas that it would not launch rockets at Israeli territories and stop the activity of underground terror tunnels.

There have been various reports in recent weeks of negotiations on a long-term ceasefire, after a temporary cease-fire on August 26 last year put an end to a two-month-long war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in which more than 2,200 Palestinians died and over 70 Israelis perished.

On August 5, Israeli officials sent a calming message to the Palestinian Authority, charging that they are not conducting negotiations with Hamas over a long-term truce, the Times of Israel website reported.

The report, based on Palestinian sources, charged Israeli officials passed the message to the Palestinian Authority, the body governing the Palestinians in the West Bank territories, that no talks are conducted, despite reports to the contrary.

The Palestinian authority is concerned that an agreement between Israel and Hamas would increase the latter's popularity among the Palestinian public and eat away at the Authority's leadership and legitimacy.

Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, after a fallout with Fatah over the allocation of governing power, another Palestinian faction who constitutes the Palestinian Authority, based in the West Bank territories. Since then the territories serve as two different entities.

The parties reached an agreement and announced the formation of a national unity government in April 2014, in a move denounced by Israel, with the latter withdrawing from the U.S.-mediated peace talks.

However, recently cracks started to surface in the reconciliation efforts, with both factions split over the setup of the government and the clauses in the reconciliation agreement. Endit