GAZA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- A senior Hamas official said on Thursday that there is no link between peace with Israel and reconciliation with rival Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas politburo member, told reporters in Gaza that the 12-year siege on the Gaza Strip has to be lifted "and therefore, the suffering of our people has to find an end."
Over the past few weeks, Egypt and United Nations Special envoy Nikolai Mladinov have been sponsoring a dialogue between Hamas and Israel for a long-term truce that lifts the Israeli blockade and improves the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
"In order to have a sea passage, we must have a seaport for the Gaza Strip," said Hayya.
The Gaza Sea "is our window to the world and we want a direct connection with the world under the supervision of the United Nations," he added.
Hayya also said Hamas will stop both the release of arson kites and balloons from the Gaza Strip into Israel and the weekly "March of Return" rally if Israel ends its blockade on the coastal enclave.
However, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, his Fatah Party and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) opposed the "unilateral" signing of a truce deal with Israel by Hamas or other non-PLO factions.
Abbas insisted that Hamas must first end the internal Palestinian division which has lasted more than 11 years, since Hamas violently seized control of Gaza in the summer of 2007.
