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Israeli cabinet rejects Kerry's cease-fire plan

Hamas has not yet approved the proposal.

By Ed Adamczyk
Israelis dance with Israeli flags near armored personnel carriers at a staging site in southern Israel, July 25, 2014. The Israeli security cabinet is meeting to discuss a ceasefire proposed by US Secretary of State John Kerry for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza. UPI/Debbie Hill
1 of 7 | Israelis dance with Israeli flags near armored personnel carriers at a staging site in southern Israel, July 25, 2014. The Israeli security cabinet is meeting to discuss a ceasefire proposed by US Secretary of State John Kerry for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza. UPI/Debbie Hill | License Photo

JERUSALEM, July 25 (UPI) -- The Israeli cabinet Friday rejected U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's peace plan in Gaza that called for a one-week humanitarian cease-fire.

The vote was unanimous, Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinetz told CNN, and the cabinet requested modifications to the plan Kerry is formulating in Cairo, Egypt, with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri.

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Diplomatic sources said Israel is concerned with the presence of its ground troops in Gaza, and whether they must withdraw during the cease-fire.

Hamas, the militant organization ruling Gaza, has not agreed to the plan either, and the United States is working with Qatar and Turkey, Hamas-friendly nations, to persuade Hamas to approve Kerry's plan.

The proposed cease-fire is intended to bring humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, into Gaza, as well as deal with injured civilians and a population running out of food and water.

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