"If the situation is allowed to remain like now it will be the innocent people that will suffer. I think it is urgent for a ceasefire to be immediately implemented," Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has expressed support for Israel and Hamas to conduct a ceasefire for the interest of innocent people.

"If the situation is allowed to remain like now it will be the innocent people that will suffer. I think it is urgent for a ceasefire to be immediately implemented," Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said here on Tuesday.

He said the ceasefire agreement would not mean that both Palestine and Israel were wrong.

"It is indeed clear that the Palestine is the oppressed and the Israeli is the oppressor. But if we wish to end the current situation for the sake of innocent people the ceasefire must be supported," he said.

It was reported that Israel has agreed with the proposal from Egypt on a ceasefire with Hamas. But the Hamas said on Monday that they would never end their hostility with Israel without the Jewish state making serious efforts to achieve it.

"Discussion for a ceasefire requires concrete and serious efforts and so far we have not yet seen them," Hamas Nushir al-Masri said to AFP in Gaza.

Masri said Hamas would only negotiate upon deals agreed by Israel.

The deals include the opening of the Gaza Strip blockade - which has gone for eight years - the opening of the cross-border gate at Rafahs border with Egypt and release of Palestinians held by Israel and put in jails after being released in exchange of the freedom of Israeli soldier Gilad Halit in 2011.

"The ceasefire must be based on terms that we determine," Masri said.

Other Hamas officials said to AFP in Cairo that a general framework has been presented and the group has resolved to get more from what they have got in the ceasefire agreement - to end violent clashes with Israel in 2012.

Masri said to AFP "Arab, Islamic and Western countries must be involved in the discussion for a ceasefire," but he gave no details.

He said Hamas was ready to continue to fight and for a long and grueling battle.

The battle on Monday was the seventh day while calls for a ceasefire have continued to be voiced by the international community.

No signs of real mediation or methods however have been seen to end the conflict that has claimed 175 deaths in Gaza so far.

Israel has since July launched dozens of bombs in the Gaza Strip an hour after Israel discovered three bodies of Israeli youths that had gone missing since June 12 in the West Bank.

Israel has accused Hamas of having kidnapped the teenagers at a location close to the Jewish settlement and has arrested tens of the groups members in the past few weeks in connection with the incident.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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