#Gaza ceasefire talks intensify as Palestinian death toll exceeds 700
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/gaza-ceasefire-talks-intensify-palestinian-death-toll-exceeds-700
Talks to end the 16-day assault by #Israel on the Gaza Strip have intensified, with #US Secretary of State John Kerry shuttling between Jerusalem and Cairo in a bid to forge a truce. #Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal said on Wednesday there had been progress in negotiations to end the Gaza conflict but that it needed detailed guarantees that Israel would ease its blockade of the enclave. A Hamas official acknowledged that the movement realized that getting Israel to end the eight-year siege in tandem with a ceasefire was unrealistic. read more