Israel Pummels Gaza Before Ceasefire Vote

Israel agrees to withdraw from Gaza if truce holds

(NEWSER) - Hamas and other Gaza militants have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, and will allow Israel a week to pull troops out of the area, a Hamas official said today in Egypt. Israel said it would withdraw if the truce was upheld. It had declared a unilateral ceasefire beginning early this morning, but Hamas had vowed to keep fighting until troops were withdrawn from Gaza, Reuters reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Hamas says its negotiators have a reached a deal with Israel for a long-term Gaza truce, Reuters reports. A senior leader said the truce ensures the opening of all commercial crossings and will be announced over the weekend. The Egyptian-brokered pact would replace a tentative truce put in place last month after a 22-day Israeli offensive left 1,300 Palestinians dead. Israel, in the midst of election chaos, had no official comment. More»

Locals want to stop violence; exiled leaders say keep it up

(NEWSER) - Hamas is split over its next steps in the continuing bloodshed in Gaza. Local leaders want an end to the violence, while exiled bosses in Syria want to keep battling until all their conditions are met, the Economist reports. Outside leaders are putting pressure on Hamas, particularly its Syrian arm, to settle with Israel, which maintains the upper hand in fighting, though it's expected to declare a ceasefire soon. More»

Egypt brokers deal to stop escalating violence

(AP) - Gaza militants agreed to a cease-fire with Israel to stop spiking violence, a Hamas official said today, after a deadly attack across the Egyptian border on Israeli vehicles set off a three-day round of rapidly escalating Israeli airstrikes and rocket barrages from Gaza. The sudden flareup also threatened Israel-Egypt relations, after three Egyptian police were killed as the cross-border clash developed Thursday. Egypt complained strongly as thousands demonstrated in Cairo, and Israel apologized. More»

Olmert promises to strike back after rocket attacks

(NEWSER) - Israel’s military intelligence chief says Hamas “is conducting serious soul-searching on its strategic mistakes and operational failures" in the wake of the Gaza war, the Jerusalem Post reports. Rival Palestinian groups “are challenging the organization and carrying out attacks in order to bring on another escalation,” he told the Israeli cabinet this morning. “Hamas is deterred and respecting the ceasefire, but not doing enough to discourage the others.” More»