Throwing the ceasefire ball in each other’s court, Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers said on Sunday they were willing to end the recent round of fighting with Israel after a similar offer by Israel’s Defense Minister.
“Our message to the occupation is that a truce will be met with a truce.”
The latest escalation of attacks followed the firing of an anti-tank round at an Israeli school bus, wounding two.
Israel replied with a shower of mortar shells that attacked the Gaza strip, killing 18 and injuring at least 57, 12 of them seriously.
Among the casualties were some Hamas members including 29-year-old Tayser Abu Snima, a Hamas leader in Rafah border city.
Hamas replied with firing scores of rocket attacks on southern Israeli desert which caused no casualties.
The offer followed a Hamas declaration of a state of emergency in the face of the deadly Israeli reprisals against the territory earlier on Saturday.
“The (Hamas) interior ministry has decreed a state of emergency,” ministry spokesman Ihab al-Ghussein said.
“All security forces must work 24 hours a day along with the civil defense and medical services to protect and save inhabitants taken as targets by the Zionist occupier.”
Last night, the situation slightly calmed down limited to only three mortar rounds into Israel early on Sunday, without causing casualties.
The death toll of 18 since last Thursday made it the deadliest period in Gaza since the end of Israel’s last offensive in Gaza two years ago.
Ceasefire Offer
Hamas offer for a ceasefire followed an earlier hint given by Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
“If they cease firing, we’ll cease firing,” he told AFP.
“We cannot tolerate firing” against Israel, Barak added.
Barak said that his offer followed reports that Hamas movement’s political wing was ready for a truce.
Similar information was confirmed by a senior Israeli security official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The political branch of Hamas has sent a message asking for an Israeli ceasefire” in exchange for a halt to Palestinian attacks, the official told AFP.
The Israeli Defense Minister had earlier postponed a scheduled trip to Washington following the latest escalation of tensions between Israel and Gaza strip.
Barak confirmed that all options were available on the ground, including a massive war on the besieged strip.
Yet, he added that such an action would not be necessary.
“We will act along the lines of what happens on the ground,” Barak said.
“If it will be necessary, we will act, but when it’s not necessary, we don’t need to,” he said.
“Restraint is also a form of strength.”
Israel launched a three-week deadly onslaught on Gaza in December 2008, killing at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and wounded thousands.
The offensive wrecked havoc on the Gaza infrastructure, destroying thousands of building across the impoverished territory.
Source: OnIslam