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Israel won't attack Gaza, if...
11/03/2008 12:21 - (SA)
Jerusalem - Israel has agreed not to launch new strikes on the Gaza Strip if militants in the Hamas-run territory stop firing rockets, a senior defence official said on Tuesday.
The conditional agreement was reached with Egypt, which is seeking to broker a deal to achieve a truce and lift the blockade of Gaza after a surge in violence last week plunged already faltering peace talks into jeopardy.
"Israel has reached an agreement with the Egyptians that if there is no rocket fire from Gaza it will not launch attacks against Gaza," the official, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
The deal is subject to Gaza not becoming "a ticking bomb" where militants transport rockets or make other preparations for attacking the Jewish state.
While Israel agreed not to launch a broad offensive, it reserves the right to attack specific targets if the need arises, the official said.
Egypt for its part agreed "to do everything in its power to prevent weapons being smuggled into Gaza", he said.
Ceasefire efforts
Efforts to bring about a ceasefire have gathered pace, with senior US and Israeli envoys holding talks in Egypt over the past week, as have delegations from Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Israel and Hamas have held their fire around the Gaza Strip in recent days following a flare-up in violence in which 133 Palestinians and five Israelis died since February 27.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who lost control of Gaza when Hamas violently seized the enclave last June, said on Monday there was agreement in principle to reach a truce.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the army would have no reason to retaliate if Islamists stop their attacks. But he vehemently denied there were any negotiations "either direct or indirect" on the issue.
- AFP
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