Hamas political director Khaled Meshaal (pictured) has warned that fighting will resume in Gaza if a political settlement is not reached after the end of the 50-day war with Israel.

Israel and Gaza agreed a ceasefire on Tuesday night; however, none of the issues surrounding the war — such as the Israeli blockade of the territory, the release of long-term detainees in Israeli prisons, and the establishment of a Gazan seaport and airport — were resolved.

Meshaal said at a press conference from his exile in Qatar on Thursday that the ceasefire “is just a milestone to reaching our objective….We will not restrict our dreams or make compromises.”

He continued, “The rockets and tunnels exist, if the negotiations fail and there will be a need, we will return to resistance until we reach our goals.”

The Hamas leader rejected Israel’s demand for the demilitarization of Gaza before other issues such as reconstruction are agreed:

The weapons of the resistance are sacred and we will not accept that they be on the agenda….
The issue is not up for negotiation.

In a news conference on Wednesday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that Israel would not give any ground to Hamas’ demands:

Hamas was badly beaten and received none of the conditions it had demanded in return for a ceasefire. [Hamas] demanded a seaport and did not get one; an airport – not accepted; a release of Shalit-deal prisoners — not accepted.

Talks are tentatively scheduled to resume next month in Egypt.