Israel, Gaza militants agree to ceasefire Hamas official

19^min

According to AFP sources, the Israeli Army reported that one of its soldiers was killed by a rocket fired from Gaza.

The truce between Israel and the Palestinian militants remained unsure as Reuters reported that an Egyptian official said that the Gaza truce talks continue, hoping that a deal will be closed on Tuesday.

Earlier, a Hamas official Ayman Taha said that Israel and Gaza militants agreed to Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, noting that the truce will come into force at midnight local (22:00 GMT).

On the opposite side, Israeli government spokesman told CNN that the truce deal with Gaza militants is not finalized, "ball still in play," he stated.

However, Israel wants to find a long-term, diplomatic solution to resolve the Gaza crisis, but will not hesitate to escalate its military campaign against Palestinian militants if needed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

"If a long-term solution can be put in place through diplomatic means then Israel would be a willing partner to such a solution," Netanyahu said after talks with the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

"But if stronger military action proves necessary to stop the constant barrage of rockets, Israel will not hesitate to do what is necessary to defend our people," he added.

Earlier, the Israeli Army dropped leaflets calling on citizens in several areas throughout Gaza to "immediately evacuate". Minutes later 5 people were reported dead raising the death toll to an unofficial count of a 120. Two children were among those dead.

This as Palestinian Authority Leader Mahmoud Abbas said that he would filing a legal suit against foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman for threats made against him

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi said on Tuesday that Israeli aggression against Gaza would end later in the day, the Egyptian state news agency MENA reported.

Morsi's statement came after a rocket was fired at Jerusalem on Tuesday but did not hit the city, police said. It was the second time a rocket has been launched toward Jerusalem since Israel's Gaza offensive began last Wednesday.

This after Israel had declared that it was halting all ground military operations in the Gaza strip to spare a chance for diplomatic efforts and a delegation of Arab ministers arrived to Gaza Strip through Rafah crossing.

Earlier however, Israeli aircrafts had battered the headquarters of the Gaza Strip Bank. The strike on the Islamic National Bank in Gaza City is part of a widening Israeli onslaught against the militants and their rocket squads targeting Israel. The offensive is now in its seventh day.

Israeli leaders had discussed an Egyptian plan for a truce with Hamas, reports said. Ministers in Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's inner circle - the Forum of Nine - held lengthy talks over whether to agree to a ceasefire or expand the air and naval campaign into a ground operation, but no decision was announced, Israeli public radio reported.
It said Israel would like a 24 to 48-hour truce to be observed so the two sides could work out a lasting ceasefire, with Israel possibly looking into easing its embargo on the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile it was reported that a man stabbed a security guard on Tuesday at the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv and was apprehended by police, a police spokesman said. The spokesman added that the guard opened fire during the attack with Israeli Radio confirming the attacker had been wounded. He was armed with a knife and an axe, police said.


POSITIONS:

US President Barack Obama called Egypt’s President Mohammad Morsi during his flight from Cambodia to Japan, for the third time in roughly 24 hrs to discuss Gaza conflict.

On the other hand, Israel's President Shimon Peres accused Iran of encouraging the Palestinians to continue rocket attacks on Israel rather than negotiating a ceasefire, saying "they are out of their mind." At the same time, Peres praised Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi for the constructive role he has played in the intensifying crisis. Peres made his remarks during an interview on CNN. In return a spokesperson of the Iranian government said that Israel is solely responsible for the current conflict in Gaza, and should be held accountable for war crimes.

The commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades Mohammad Deif vowed that "Israel would pay the price" of its raids against Gaza.

For her part, US ambassador at the UN Susan Rice said there had to be an agreed ceasefire between the Israelis and Hamas for any halt in violence to be “meaningful or sustainable.”

“The United States and countries in the region are working energetically through all diplomatic channels to try to negotiate an end to the violence,” Rice added.
For its part, Russia accused the United States on Monday of blocking a bid by the U.N. Security Council to condemn the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Russia's U.N. envoy Vitaly Churkin said he was prepared to introduce a resolution - a stronger move by the council than a statement - to call for an end to the violence and show support for regional and international efforts to broker peace.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama is sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the Middle East for talks with Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian leaders to seek a de-escalation of the violence in Gaza, the White House said on Tuesday.

White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters in Cambodia that Clinton would leave for the region later on Tuesday. Clinton and Obama are attending a summit in Phnom Penh.

Clinton will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and with Palestinian Authority leaders in Ramallah, Rhodes said. She will later travel to Cairo.

Rhodes said the message of her trip will be that it is in nobody's interest for there to be an escalation of military conflict in Gaza.

On Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and said an Israeli ground operation in the Palestinian enclave would be a "dangerous escalation" that must be avoided.

Ban was speaking at a news conference in Cairo after talks with Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby.

Later on Tuesday, the U.N. secretary-general arrived into Israel for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Foreign ministers from a group of Arab states and Turkey also made their way to Gaza to show their solidarity with the Hamas-ruled Palestinian enclave.

The visit was planned at an emergency Arab League meeting in Cairo last Saturday, at which Arab ministers gave their backing to Egyptian efforts to try to secure a truce between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

"The foreign ministers of Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Iraq, Sudan, Qatar, Lebanon, and Jordan along with the Turkish foreign minister left from Cairo to Al-Arish city near Egypt's border with Gaza from where they will cross the Egyptian Rafah crossing into Gaza," the Arab League source said.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing’’ in Gaza, saying the air raids could not be considered self defense.

“Israel is committing ethnic cleansing by ignoring peace in this region and violating international law,'' Erdogan said. “It is occupying the Palestinian territory step by step.’’

Erdogan said Israel’s air raids against Gaza could not be deemed self defense, accusing Western countries of aiding what it called a “terrorist state’’ by condoning its violence in the Middle East.

LBCI/REUTERS