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A Palestinian militant taking position during fighting with the IDF in Gaza on Thursday. (AP)
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Last update - 04:24 21/12/2007
PMO denies Israel holding talks with Hamas on Gaza truce
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press
Tags: Gaza Strip, Israel, Hamas 

A senior official in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office denied Thursday that Israel was holding contacts with Hamas over a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

According to the official, the government's stance remains unchanged, and will only hold talks with Hamas once it recognizes Israel and renounces terror.

Defense officials had said earlier in the day that Israel was examining a Hamas proposal for a Gaza Strip cease-fire delivered by Egyptian mediators.
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The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Hamas proposal was limited to stopping the ongoing Qassam rocket fire in exchange for a halt to Israel Defense Forces military operations in Gaza.

They said Hamas gave assurances it could impose the truce on the militant groups that are firing the rockets - Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees.

There was no immediate comment from the Egyptian government.

At least seven Palestinian militants were killed Thursday by IDF fire in the Strip, and five IDF soldiers were wounded, including one seriously.

Palestinian militants fired three Qassam rockets at Israel, one of which struck next to a Sderot school. One child was treated for shock.

Hamas first floated the idea of a truce earlier this week when Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called an Israeli TV reporter. Israel rejected the advance, saying there was no need for a truce - if the rocket fire stopped, Israel would have no reason to attack.

Vice Premier Haim Ramon said Thursday that Haniyeh's overture was proof that Israel's strategy of blockading Gaza and battling militants there is working.

"All of these ... comments, and the messages coming in all kinds of strange ways, all of these things are a kind of smoke screen that just shows that Israel's recent policy toward Palestinian terror is bearing fruit," Ramon told Army Radio. "If Palestinians stopped firing rockets into Israel, Israel would have no reason to attack," Ramon said.

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      1.   If True, Everybody Wins 21:52  |  Mark of Lewiston 20/12/07
      2.   Shock and horror!!!!! 21:56  |  John 20/12/07
      3.   Cease fire not the issue, legitimizing terrorism is the goal 22:12  |  Voice of Reason 20/12/07
      4.   Cease-fire 22:12  |  B 20/12/07
      5.   Haaretzniks rejoice 22:33  |  steve from raleigh 20/12/07
      6.   Ya Think So??? Part 2 22:34  |  Larry 20/12/07
      7.   DUMB JEWS, YOU NEVER LEARN. 22:34  |  Mark 20/12/07
      8.   Ya Think So Part 3 22:37  |  Larry 20/12/07
      9.   Hamas Finally Stops Taking Their Daily Dose Of Stupid Pills? 22:37  |  Lavi 20/12/07
      10.   Not Rocket Science (Bad Pun Intended, sorry). 22:43  |  dyinglikeflies 20/12/07
      11.   H "could impose ceasefire"-SO WHY HAVNT THEY DONE SO ALREADY! 22:43  |  Alan 20/12/07
      12.   Hope 22:43  |  hopeful one 20/12/07
      13.   This happens every time Israel targets Hamas leaders 22:48  |  Conroy 20/12/07
      14.   The ?hudna? 22:50  |  KUTW 20/12/07
      15.   4. B: good idea 22:52  |  KUTW 20/12/07
      16.   Cant everyone feel the WARM FUZZIES oozing out from Hamas Tunnels 22:55  |  Alan 20/12/07
      17.   One major condition for the truce must be 22:55  |  * BEN JABO 20/12/07
      18.   No way - push em further! 22:56  |  Fair enough 20/12/07
      19.   @Mark: "DON`T WORRY ABOUT WHAT THE WORLD THINKS." 22:59  |  Citizen Zero 20/12/07
      20.   No cease-fire, but free Gilad Shalit first! 23:01  |  Soldier 20/12/07
      21.   If Olmert accepts this he will be making another blunder 23:06  |  zionist forever 20/12/07
      22.   #7 Larry, I`ll say!! 23:06  |  Conroy 20/12/07
      23.   Hamas could do it two weeks ago 23:15  |  Gene 20/12/07
      24.   #17 *Ben Jabo. For how long and how many... 23:16  |  Maureen Ann 20/12/07
      25.   Let the mediators live in Sderot during the Hudna 23:16  |  Israeli 20/12/07
      26.   they would only re-arm and re-group 23:20  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 20/12/07
      27.   Olmert agreed to a Gaza ceacefire last year & it lasted hours 23:20  |  zionist forever 20/12/07
      28.   more fun with naive suggestions and lying down with the lion 23:23  |  victor hardman 20/12/07
      29.   Ceasefire? Good Idea. 23:23  |  Natallie Durson 20/12/07
      30.   POW - Bring him home! 23:27  |  Be Smart 20/12/07
      31.   hamas and egypt 23:34  |  marcel 20/12/07
      32.   Now that Hamas is crying uncle, Israel quits? 23:39  |  bat yam 20/12/07
      33.   #29, Durson 23:42  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 20/12/07
      34.   #5 steve of raleigh..unicorn will go quite nicely 23:43  |  Lynn 20/12/07
      35.   It would be insane to agree 23:49  |  stork 20/12/07
      36.   Terrorists are tired and need "honourably" stop the fire 23:59  |  Alicia 20/12/07
      37.   just what zion wants: ceasefire and continue starving gaza 00:01  |  humanitarian 21/12/07
      38.   For Cipora #33 00:04  |  Esther 21/12/07
      39.   Qassams unrelated to Israeli action in Gaza 00:05  |  Jon 21/12/07
      40.   #32 bats in the belfree 00:05  |  rsvp 21/12/07
      41.   # 33 Kohn .. Victory is not an option 00:12  |  Natallie Durson 21/12/07
      42.   The non-denial denial 00:28  |  Tosefta 21/12/07
      43.   3Voice of Reason,your bizarre reasoning,even if what you say is 00:52  |  lakshmi 21/12/07
      44.   Proposal for Cease Fire 01:04  |  DoubleClick 21/12/07
      45.   Woe is me!!! 01:04  |  Nechama 21/12/07
      46.   If Hamas REALLY wants a true cease fire 01:06  |  Nechama 21/12/07
      47.   No truce until hamas` capabilities are SIGNIFICANTLY diminished! 01:08  |  Roni 21/12/07
      48.   @#4,B 01:55  |  akiva (zionist) 21/12/07
      49.   @#33 CJK 02:04  |  akiva (zionist) 21/12/07
      50.   Cipora Juliana Kohn-#-33-Durson`s true colours 02:14  |  Daniel Leopold 21/12/07
      51.   Is the bully feeling threatened. Just like Hezboloonies 02:27  |  Chaim Gorenstein 21/12/07
      52.   Mixed Signals 02:37  |  Jeff Northridge 21/12/07
      53.   A Cease-Fire??!! - How Could Israel Portray Itself as Victim Then 02:40  |  chet 21/12/07
      54.   If only 02:59  |  geoff 21/12/07
      55.   # 29 Fatmah the idiot... 03:09  |  Misha 21/12/07
      56.   Daniel Leopold and geoff,( of Australia). 03:48  |  akiva (zionist) 21/12/07
      57.   #24 2ND TRY Maureen Ann 12:04  |  * BEN JABO 21/12/07
      58.   #53 Chet - Cease Fire - Not a chance of Hamas 12:08  |  * BEN JABO 21/12/07
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