Hamas demands Israel lay out timetable to implement their demands
Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders say progress has been made in truce talks but Hamas has a demand lis
GAZA (Reuters) - The Islamist Hamas group said on Saturday that it expects Israel to lay out a timetable to implement demands made by Gaza s factions and brought to Israel by Egyptian mediators.
Hamas’ demand came as tens of thousands of Palestinians rallied in heavy rain at the Israel-Gaza border on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of a new wave of protests, facing off against Israeli tanks and troops massed on the fortified frontier.
The ‘Great March of Return’ protests have been marked by sometimes deadly violence and Gaza medical officials said two Palestinians were killed on Saturday.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders say progress has been made in the truce talks, but Hamas has a list of demands from Israel that it wants to see fulfilled.
Saturday’s protest saw Palestinians throw rocks, grenades and burning tyres towards soldiers across the border fence, the Israeli military said.
Eager to attract a large turnout on the anniversary, organizers set up loudspeakers at protest camps along the border, blaring out Palestinian nationalist songs at full volume. Hamas leaders turned up at the rallies and ordered schools shut for the day to encourage participation.
The protesters are calling for the lifting of a security blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt, and for Palestinians to have the right to return to land from which their families fled or were forced to flee during Israel’s founding in 1948.
Israel rejects any such return, saying that would eliminate its Jewish majority.
