Negotiators in the Egyptian capital discuss issue at centre of conflict as end of the 72- hour ceasefire approaches .
Negotiators in Cairo have addressed the issue of the Israeli Gaza blockade , as the clock ticks down to the 2100 GMT deadline that will end a current 72- hour truce .
By that time on Wednesday , Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in the Egyptian capital must have either agreed on a permanent ceasefire , accepted an extension or risk a resumption of more than a month of bloody fighting.
As Gaza ' s residents ventured out into the quiet to try to piece together their battered lives, negotiators held a second round of indirect talks aimed at finding a durable end to the five - week confrontation .
A senior Israeli official told the AFP news agency there was still a long way to go to agree an end to the conflict , which erupted on July 8 when Israel launched military operations to halt cross- border rocket fire from Gaza .
" The negotiations are difficult and gruelling , " a Palestinian official said of Monday ' s opening talks , which lasted almost 10 hours and which were described as " serious" .
Tuesday' s talks, which opened during the afternoon and tackled core issues such as Israel ' s eight -year blockade of Gaza , went on late into the night .
Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli official played down the chances of success .
" The gaps are still very wide. There has not been progress in the negotiations, " he told AFP.
Hamas , the Palestinian group which runs Gaza , wants Israel to lift the blockade it imposed on the enclave in 2006 before it will stop rocket attacks . Israel has said it will only facilitate Gaza ' s reconstruction if the enclave is fully disarmed .
In a sign that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced domestic political battles to sell any deal to his fractious coalition government , he called off a planned meeting of his security cabinet on Tuesday.
Negotiators in Cairo have addressed the issue of the Israeli Gaza blockade , as the clock ticks down to the 2100 GMT deadline that will end a current 72- hour truce .
By that time on Wednesday , Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in the Egyptian capital must have either agreed on a permanent ceasefire , accepted an extension or risk a resumption of more than a month of bloody fighting.
As Gaza ' s residents ventured out into the quiet to try to piece together their battered lives, negotiators held a second round of indirect talks aimed at finding a durable end to the five - week confrontation .
A senior Israeli official told the AFP news agency there was still a long way to go to agree an end to the conflict , which erupted on July 8 when Israel launched military operations to halt cross- border rocket fire from Gaza .
" The negotiations are difficult and gruelling , " a Palestinian official said of Monday ' s opening talks , which lasted almost 10 hours and which were described as " serious" .
Tuesday' s talks, which opened during the afternoon and tackled core issues such as Israel ' s eight -year blockade of Gaza , went on late into the night .
Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli official played down the chances of success .
" The gaps are still very wide. There has not been progress in the negotiations, " he told AFP.
Hamas , the Palestinian group which runs Gaza , wants Israel to lift the blockade it imposed on the enclave in 2006 before it will stop rocket attacks . Israel has said it will only facilitate Gaza ' s reconstruction if the enclave is fully disarmed .
In a sign that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced domestic political battles to sell any deal to his fractious coalition government , he called off a planned meeting of his security cabinet on Tuesday.
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