A senior Islamic Hamas movement leader Thursday accused Israel of being responsible for obstructing reaching a lone-term cease-fire agreement in Cairo.

"The Israeli delegation playing with expressions was the main reason behind the delay in reaching an agreement that meets the demands of the Palestinian people and their political factions," Khalil al-Hayyah, a Hamas leader and member of the Palestinian delegation in Cairo, told a news conference in Gaza.

The Hamas official, who lost half of his family in an Israeli airstrike on his house around three weeks ago, said the talks in Cairo "were hard and difficult, but the opportunity for an agreement is still there."

"The Palestinian demands are basically depending on stopping the aggression on our people and lifting the siege that has been imposed on Gaza for eight years, once and forever," he said.

He also added that building a seaport and an airport on the lands of the Gaza Strip is the right of every Palestinian, adding that "rebuilding the Gaza Strip and fixing all the damage caused is our right and not Israel's right."

Israel refuses the requests to build a seaport and airport, but is willing to ease the blockade on the strip and have another factor like the Palestinian Authority supervise the crossings. It is willing to negotiate exchange prisoners in exchange for the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in the strip in the past month, but insists that Hamas will be disarmed and the strip demilitarized, which Hamas vehemently objects to.

On Wednesday night, despite attempts to violate the 72-hour ceasefire, the Palestinian delegation in Cairo agreed with Israel to extend the cease-fire that ended at midnight for another five days.

"Extending the cease-fire was an opportunity for holding wider talks among the Palestinian factions and to work together in directing the pressure on Israel which is responsible for this war, " said al-Hayyah.

However, he warned that in case the talks on reaching a cease- fire in Cairo fail, "the armed Palestinian resistance is able to resume the battle with the occupation with more power than before. "

He also called for international guarantees to oblige Israel to be committed to implement any agreement that will be reached with the Palestinians.

In July 8, Israel waged a large-scale military air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip, killing 1,961 and wounding more than 10,000 others. 67 Israelis, most of them are soldiers, were also killed. Endi

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