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Olmert: The sooner Israel can end Gaza op, the better By Haaretz Staff and AP Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Haaretz on Tuesday that Israel has no interest in a prolonged offensive in the Gaza Strip. "The sooner, the better," he said when asked when the army planned to end its operation. "We did not set out to occupy Gaza or kill every terrorist. We set out to bring change to the south." Advertisement Olmert on Tuesday visited a number of southern towns recently battered by rockets, and met with residents, municipal leaders, and wounded Israel Defense Forces soldiers hospitalized at Soroka Medical Center, in Be'er Sheva. The prime minister told Haaretz that he was in contact with numerous world leaders working toward a diplomatic solution for the crisis, but explained that Israel was demanding "an effective blockading of the Philadelphi Route, with supervision and follow-ups," referring to the area between Gaza and Egypt where Islamic militants have dug tunnels that are used for smuggling weapons and passage of guerillas. Earlier Tuesday, Olmert rejected the European Union's request for a 48-hour "humanitarian" cease-fire with Hamas. The prime minister told the group of visiting European foreign ministers that Israel was "tired of gestures." "We honored the cease-fire despite being fired at on a daily basis," Olmert said. "Now is the time for action. We are ready for a cease-fire only in exchange for actions, not empty words." Meanwhile, President Shimon Peres told senior European Union politicians during their talks Tuesday that their nations should support Israel in its Gaza offensive. Europeans, said Peres, "must understand that Hamas is a terror organization of the worst order that uses its population of women and children as human shields." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Humanitarian initiative There is a way for Israel to prove it is committed to universal moral values. Top Targets An Islamist site is compiling a list of U.K. Jews to target over Gaza op.

Read & React Bradley Burston / A Jew's prayer for the children of Gaza Responses: 52 IDF: Shelled UN school in Gaza used as hideout by Hamas Responses: 100 ANALYSIS / Using aggressive tactics in Gaza to save soldiers' lives Responses: 23 Venezuela's Chavez: Gaza operation is a Palestinian 'holocaust' Responses: 26 Amira Hass: Lucky my parents aren't alive to see Israel bomb Gaza Responses: 40 More Headlines 23:29 Israel bombs south Gaza tunnels, tells local residents to flee 01:09 Barak: If cease-fire deal doesn't meet Israel's demands, Gaza operation will continue 21:55 Clashes resume in Gaza City after 3-hour humanitarian truce 22:58 Rice: Gaza truce needed, but must not allow return to 'status quo ante' 18:30 Defense sources: Even if Hamas agrees to truce, its armed wing may resist 23:37 25 Gaza rockets strike Negev over course of Wednesday 21:27 Obama vows to 'engage immediately' on Mideast once inaugurated 12:57 A Jew's prayer for the children of Gaza 18:20 Get up to the minute coverage of the warfare in Gaza directly to your email 11:35 ANALYSIS / Israel must double, triple, quadruple its medical aid to Gaza 14:34 Report: Islamist site compiling list of U.K. Jews to target over Gaza op 20:40 In battle for public opinion, IDF Web site puts female face forward 16:14 Israel defers vote on expanding Gaza ground op amid growing truce bids 22:00 Joe the Plumber named conservative Web site's war correspondent in Israel 14:53 Nasrallah: Hezbollah will make Lebanon war look like 'a walk in the park' 01:51 German court rules Nazi hit man unfit to stand trial 01:24 IDF reserve forces receive fictitious calls for duty in Gaza 21:35 WATCH: Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Zalman Shoval on Gaza conflict 21:33 U.S. rabbi raises $100,000 to buy care packages for IDF troops in Gaza 14:19 Amira Hass / 86 hours after Gaza home shelled, family still lacks medical aid Previous Editions Select Day 07 jan 06 jan 05 jan 04 jan 02 jan 01 jan 31 dec 30 dec 29 dec 28 dec 26 dec 25 dec

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