Tightening a siege of the Gaza Strip, Israeli troops and armor pushed today into the Palestinian side of the main crossing point into the coastal territory. The incursion at the Erez crossing came hours after the expiration of a deadline set by Palestinian militants for concessions in exchange for the release of a captured Israeli soldier. Israel has refused demands that it free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the soldier's freedom, but diplomatic attempts to resolve the standoff continued.Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas official, told a weekly Cabinet meeting today that "the language of wisdom must be used to end this incident." He praised the efforts of Egyptian mediators.
Israel holds Haniyeh's government responsible for the conflict over the abduction of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, 19, even though he and other Hamas-allied government officials insist they had no prior knowledge of the June 25 raid by three militant factions that resulted in Shalit's capture. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, addressing a gathering of businesspeople in southern Israel, vowed anew that Israel would take sweeping vengeance if any harm befalls the young soldier. "We will strike all the elements of terror; whoever hurts citizens of the state of Israel will not be immune," the prime minister said.