Gaza, Aug 30 (IANS): Ismail Haniyeh, the politburo chief of Hamas, on Sunday said that the Islamic movement has insisted on ending the Israeli blockade as soon as possible.

In a statement sent to Xinhua news agency, Haniyeh confirmed that his movement's leadership is following the communications between the Arab, European mediators and Israel in order to restore the calm in the coastal enclave as soon as Israel ends its blockade, reports Xinhua news agency.

He stressed that the main problem is "represented in the existence of the occupations and its refusal to deal with the just Palestinian demand".

Meanwhile, Haniyeh praised the Egyptian and Qatari roles to restore the calm inside the coastal enclave, calling on the UN to stand by the Gaza's people and oblige Israel to end their suffering.

Israel imposed the tight blockade on the Gaza Strip, which is home to two million people, in mid-2007, which led to a notable deterioration of economic and social conditions.

Besides, Israel launched three large-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip between 2008 and 2014, which left thousands dead and injured, and caused extensive damage to infrastructure, industry and agriculture.