| They threaten Hamas and open the borders. That doesn't make a bit of sense. |
GAZA/Tel Aviv - Israel on Friday gave Hamas and other Palestinian militant factions in the Gaza Strip 48 hours to reduce ongoing rocket and mortar attacks from the salient or risk an Israeli military operation into the strip.
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 HamasÂ’ 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 IsraelÂ’s 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. |