Gaza crisis: Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas 'imminent'

BBC News online - 20 November 2012

Dozens of buildings across Gaza have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli air strikes

A ceasefire is set to be announced in the Gaza conflict, Egyptian and Palestinian officials say.

Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi, who is leading mediation talks, said he expected Israel to end air strikes later on Tuesday. A Hamas spokesman also told the BBC a truce was imminent.

Israel has not commented, but it has put plans for a land invasion on hold.

But it has also told villagers in north, south and east of Gaza to move to central areas for their own safety.

Leaflets dropped in a number of villages say: "The Israel Defense Forces are not targeting any of you and they do not want to harm you or your families. For your safety we demand you to evacuate your houses immediately and move towards the centre of Gaza city."

Israel launched its offensive, which it says is aimed at ending rocket fire from Gaza, with the killing on Wednesday of a Hamas military leader. More than 110 Palestinians and three Israelis have been killed since then.

Tuesday has seen a reduced level of violence, correspondents say, even though Israel has conducted some strikes. One was a "direct hit" on two militants in northern Gaza, the Israeli military said.

It also said about 90 rockets had been fired from Gaza toward Israel, and that more than 50 had been intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system. Five soldiers were wounded in one rocket attack, the military said, without specifying the location.

Local journalists say they saw Hamas fighters summarily execute six people on Tuesday afternoon for being Israeli informers.

One eyewitness told AFP news agency: "Gunmen in a minibus pulled up in the neighbourhood, pushed six men out and shot them without leaving the vehicle."

President Mursi said Israel's "aggression" against Gaza would end on Tuesday and Egypt's mediation efforts would produce "positive results" shortly, the official Mena news agency reported.

Later, Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha told the BBC he expected a ceasefire to be announced.
Although there is no comment from Israeli on a possible truce, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "If a long-term solution can be put in place by diplomatic means, Israel will be a willing partner."

The content of the Egyptian plan is not known, but both Israel and Hamas have presented conditions.

Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon: ''Israel must exercise maximum restraint''

Israel's demands include no hostile fire of any kind from Gaza and international efforts to prevent Hamas from rearming, while Hamas is demanding an end to the blockade on Gaza and "Israel's assassinations".

Israeli troops are massed along the border, raising fears of a ground offensive similar to that of 2008-09. An Israeli spokesman told the BBC: "Israel wants talks to succeed but we're prepared to go into Gaza."

In a rare appearance, top Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif said: "The enemy should know that it will pay a heavy price for its heinous crimes against our people." He added that a ground invasion would "be the starting point for a new phase of the struggle of liberation".

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due in Israel for crisis talks later on Tuesday. She will underline that "the best way to solve this is through diplomacy", said Mr Obama's Deputy National Security Adviser, Ben Rhodes.

During the previous night, the Israeli military said it had carried out about 100 strikes, mainly on smuggling tunnels and underground rocket-launching facilities. Hamas officials say seven people were killed.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met Arab League Chief Nabil al-Arabi in Cairo on Tuesday, before heading for Israel.

During a joint news conference with Mr Netanyahu, Mr Ban condemned Palestinian rocket attacks but urged Israel to show "maximum restraint."
"Further escalation benefits no one," he said.

Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, a year after winning a decisive victory in general elections.

Israel withdrew from the strip in 2005 but maintains a blockade around it.

Israel, as well as the United States and the European Union, regards Hamas as a terrorist organisation.