(VOVworld) - Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal met in Qatar on Monday to discuss a ceasefire agreement with Israel.  At their first meeting since bloodshed conflict broke out in the Gaza Strip, Abbas emphasized the need for all parties to abide by the recent Egyptian cease-fire initiative. According to a Palestinian source, both sides agreed to continue consultations in order to “stop the Israeli aggression” on the Gaza Strip. Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaineh reiterated a call by PA leaders for an immediate cease-fire, saying this will help to “achieve national goals of the Palestinian people.” In the Gaza Strip, former Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised speech that the movement has decided to “end the blockade with its blood and weapons, insisting that there will be no return back. Haniyeh went on to say that Hamas’ conditions for a cease-fire include an end to the blockade and Israeli “aggression” on the Gaza Strip and the release of former Palestinian prisoners who were rearrested by Israel in the past few weeks.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal (Photo: AP)

Earlier, regional media reported that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon weighed a long-term humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas gunmen to be proposed during his talks with President Mahmoud Abbas and US Secretary of State John Kerry in Egypt on Tuesday. The peace initiative, which was based on the Egyptian truce proposal, includes the reopening of the Rafah border gate with both Egypt and Palestine guaranteeing the security.