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Israel gives Hamas 48 hours, opens Gaza borders
For the first time in 10 days, Israel opened its border crossings with the Gaza Strip Friday morning to allow in essential humanitarian supplies. If Hamas, the radical Islamist movement ruling the Gaza Strip, responds by reducing rocket and mortar attacks from the strip, Israel will put off a military operation, officials said. Speaking on an Arabic television station popular in the Gaza Strip, Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert issued what he said was a last-minute call to stop the rocket attacks and avoid bloodshed. Egypt, meanwhile, was making efforts to curb the escalation in Gaza, a day after Tzipi Livni traveled to Cairo Thursday for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman spoke on the telephone with Hamas de-facto foreign minister in Gaza, Mahmoud al-Zahar, Israel Radio reported Friday. The broadcaster added that Egypt had also beefed up its forces along its border with the Gaza Strip, fearing Palestinians may try to breach the border should Israel attack. A spokesman in Cairo would not confirm. Livni told Mubarak Thursday that enough is enough and that Hamas was mistaken if it thought that its rocket and mortar attacks would improve the conditions of a six-month, Egyptian-mediated truce, which expired one week ago. Hamas has said it is interested in a new truce, but wants improved terms. In particular, it opposes conditioning the opening of Israels border crossings with the complete cessation of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. Attacks from the salient continued Friday, with militants launching at least 10 mortar shells and two rockets into southern Israel by the afternoon, a military spokesman said. Posted by: Steve White 2008-12-27 |
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