Israeli-Hamas Ceasefire to be Tested as Talks are Set to Begin

The month that was agreed upon between the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas and the start of talks on substantive issues ends on Monday. The promised talks, albeit indirect, are set to begin on Tuesday in Cairo under Egyptian auspices. The August 26 ceasefire ended fifty days of fierce fighting that left more than 2,000 Palestinians and 70 Israelis dead, thousands more wounded, and vast physical destruction of large areas of Gaza.. Hamas insists that its demand for the opening of a sea port is a primary issue, as is the easing of movement of people and goods and the exchange of Palestinians being held by Israel for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers who died in the Gaza ground invasion called Operation Protective Edge. Meanwhile, the Fatah and Hamas factions will resume their negotiations, with that rapprochement still shaky after two months of upheaval. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is reported to be offering a proposal that allows for nine months of negotiations with Israel followed by an Israeli withdrawal from lands claimed by the Palestinians spread out over a three-year period.