Fighting between Israel and Hamas pauses in Gaza
The lull allows food and supplies to be sent into Gaza. France and Egypt lead efforts for a diplomatic solution. Israel says it will agree if Hamas stops rocket attacks and does not rearm.
Reporting from Cairo and Gaza City — Israel and Hamas today observed a brief pause in the 12 days of fighting in the Gaza Strip, a hopeful sign as diplomatic steps to resolve the current crisis continued.
The break in fighting was designed to allow food and other supplies to cross into Gaza, which has gone through a week of bombing followed by an Israeli ground invasion over the weekend.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been involved in shuttle diplomacy among the Middle East combatants, was optimistic as he returned today to Paris. France and Egypt have been working on a joint proposal that would halt the fighting, stop Hamas from sending rockets into Israel and prevent Hamas from rearming after the hostilities ended.
Details of the proposal, which has been circulating in diplomatic circles in recent days, have yet to be made public.
"Israel welcomes the initiative of the French president and the Egyptian president to bring about a sustainable quiet in the south," Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said this morning. Israel would support the France-Egypt plan only if it halts "hostile fire" from Hamas in Gaza and includes measures to prevent the militant group from rearming, he said, emphasizing the Israeli position of recent days.
Hamas said Israel does not seem to be serious about reaching a cease-fire. "Israel is still widening and escalating its aggression and is not giving any positive signals in response to these efforts," Ghazi Hammad told the Associated Press.
The White House has backed a similar plan to end the fighting, which it has blamed on Hamas. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said a "sustainable" cease-fire should stop Hamas from continuing its rocket attacks and should help the 1.5 million people of Gaza.
Rice, meanwhile, extended a visit to New York to participate in discussions at the U.N. over the details of the latest plan. U.S. officials say Rice will meet with Arab and European foreign ministers and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
President-elect Barack Obama has avoided commenting on the situation, arguing that President Bush is still in office and that the United States needs to speak with one voice in foreign affairs. At a news conference this morning, Obama repeated that position.
Despite the lull in fighting, the death toll continued to mount. Twelve Palestinians were killed today before the pause began. That brings the Palestinian toll to more than 670, about 300 of whom are civilians, according to Palestinian and United Nations officials.
