Hamas expects cease-fire deal with Israel soon

Gaza   :  The Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip said the prospect of an Egyptian-sponsored cease-fire agreement with Israel will be decided in two weeks.

The remarks by Sinwar came during a four-hour meeting with writers and political analysts at his office in Gaza City on Wednesday, Xinhua reported, quoting website Palestine Now.

"In two weeks, the prospect of the calm agreement will be clear and by mid-October, the Palestinian citizens of Gaza will notice the positive changes, if the efforts of Cairo prosper," Sinwar told the meeting.

Meanwhile, he denied that the negotiations in the Egyptian capital have promised an airport for Gaza in the Israeli city of Eilat or a seaport in Cyprus.

"Hamas seeks a calm agreement without paying any political price," he noted.

Sinwar also threatened that Hamas could "keep the sirens wail in central Israel for six months" if no cease-fire is reached.

Over the issue of the Palestinian territory, Sinwar insists on "a Palestinian state from the (Mediterranean) Sea to the Jordan River" as the "ultimate goal" despite the temporary acceptance of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.

He also accused Fatah party of "trying to erase the presence of Hamas in the Gaza Strip."

"The Palestinian National Authority must lift the punitive measures on Gaza, form a unity government and a Palestinian National Council that elects a real Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee," Sinwar noted.

The Hamas chief in Gaza revealed that his movement is working with regional and international partners to alleviate the financial crisis of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and to create jobs for 50,000 unemployed and recent graduates.