Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., April 25, 2008 Nisan 20, 5768 | | Israel Time: 06:34 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

A truck en route to the Nahal Oz fuel depot just before the attack two weeks ago. (Alberto Denkberg) Last update - 02:23 24/04/2008 Israel launches two airstrikes against Gaza Strip targets By The Associated Press and Haaretz Service Tags: Hamas, fuel, Gaza, Israel The Israel Defense Forces launched two airstrikes late Wednesday night at targets in the Gaza Strip. One Palestinian militant was killed and three wounded in an Israel Air Force attack near the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, Palestinian security officials reported. Earlier Wednesday, a threatened shutdown of Gaza's only power plant was averted after Israel agreed to pump one million liters of diesel fuel to the coastal strip. The IDF said early Wednesday that the fuel shipment had already begun. One million liters is enough to power the plant for at least three days. Advertisement Kaanan Obeid, a Gaza energy official, had warned that the plant was in danger of shutting down Wednesday if fuel weren't delivered. Israel is the sole source of Gaza's fuel, but supplies have been sporadic since Palestinian terrorists attacked the Israeli fuel depot at Nahal Oz just across the border from Gaza earlier this month, killing two Israeli workers. The plant supplies one-third of the territory's electricity, and Israel's electricity utility supplies most of the rest. The head of the U.N. relief operations in Gaza said Wednesday that if Israel didn't supply gasoline to Gaza immediately the U.N. wouldn't be able to distribute desperately needed aid packages to Gaza residents. John Ging, chief of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, said Wednesday, before the fuel supply was resumed, that the agency's supply of gasoline will run out Thursday. Some 860,000 of Gaza's 1.4 million people receive aid from UNWRA, and an additional 270,000 are serviced by the U.N.'s World Food Program. The last Israeli fuel shipment to Gaza took place a week ago, when diesel and cooking gas were delivered, the military said. Even before the deadly attack on the fuel terminal on April 9, Israel had reduced fuel supplies to Gaza, as part of a broader effort to pressure militants to halt rocket attacks on Israeli border communities. Rocket attacks have dropped off sharply, though they have not ceased altogether. On Tuesday, Gaza's Hamas rulers said they were considering whether to accept a proposed Egyptian-mediated cease-fire that is limited to the tiny seaside territory, which would entail them dropping their long-standing demand that the West Bank be included in any halt in fighting with Israel. Hamas plans to give its final response on Thursday to the truce proposal, a senior official from the Islamist group said on Tuesday. But a deal, which Egypt has been trying to broker for months, still appears distant because the violent Islamic group is also demanding that Israel open Gaza's blockaded border crossings. And although Egypt clearly is acting as a communications channel between the two sides, Israel insists it won't even negotiate with Hamas. Israel shut the border passages after Hamas violently seized control of Gaza last June, opening them only to let in humanitarian aid. Israel is unlikely to yield to Hamas' demand to reopen the crossings. Doing so, it fears, would enable Hamas to consolidate its rule over Gaza and restock its arsenal. The Islamic group, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and other terror attacks, and is responsible for ongoing rocket barrages from Gaza. Palestinians have staged a series of attacks on Israeli border terminals in the past two weeks, most recently a failed suicide bombing last Saturday. Although the crossings are used to deliver humanitarian aid and basic supplies to Gaza, militant hard-liners view them as symbols of Israel's economic blockade and attack the passages to try to derail peace efforts. Hamas is not involved in the peace talks that were relaunched in the U.S. in November after a seven-year breakdown. Related articles: UN aid chief warns Gaza is on the verge of humanitarian crisis IDF inquiry into Nahal Oz raid highlights security failures Obama wary of Carter's report of breakthrough with Hamas Bookmark to del.icio.us   JDate wins the 'Oscars' The leading Jewish dating Web site is an official honoree of the Webby Awards. 'Worse than Nazi camp' A Libyan envoy to the UN says the situation in Gaza is worse than in concentration camps.   1.   Hamas assholels,..bite your leg off!!! 11:07  |  Akiva P 23/04/08   2.   Again we surrender to terrorism 11:25  |  Vogel 23/04/08   3.   Fuel shortage is a PR stunt: Palywood again 11:41  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 23/04/08   4.   Same old Master/Slave games 12:40  |  Natallie Durson 23/04/08   5.   Margie (some material for your forum) 13:04  |  Guido 23/04/08   6.   suffocating siege 13:16  |  Gaza resident 23/04/08   7.   Gaza resident if you are indeed there 13:46  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 23/04/08   8.   Gaza resident 6 14:07  |  ChanahS 23/04/08   9.   margie and chanaS 15:48  |  me 23/04/08   10.   ?Poor Palestinians?. 16:12  |  Jean Van Daem 23/04/08   11.   #4 NUTallie Durson 16:58  |  * BEN JABO 23/04/08   12.   #9 person with no identity 17:01  |  x-ray 23/04/08   13.   Greenhouses - get your facts right 17:32  |  Mark 23/04/08   14.   Mark (greenhouse myth) 17:59  |  Guido 23/04/08   15.   Mark, Guido and myths 18:31  |  Rory 23/04/08   16.   # 4 Durson....you`re right about Hamas 19:05  |  Lynn 23/04/08   17.   # 8 Chanah-- It`s so simple.If Israel 03:08  |  Bobby 24/04/08   18.   Mark and Guido re greenhouses 03:15  |  ChanahS 24/04/08   19.   Mark doesn`t consider hunger and incentive to grow food! 03:31  |  Voice of Reason 24/04/08   20.   Gazansz!, Lovers of The Seige 03:35  |  Richie 24/04/08   21.   It`s called slow genocide,a few here a few there,and the world 03:51  |  lakshmi 24/04/08   22.   Two attacks and a Peace pacemaker 03:51  |  Zev 24/04/08   23.   What an evil army.... 04:00  |  Dutch 24/04/08   24.   #18 Channah, Your blindness is just sickening 04:44  |  Dutch 24/04/08   25.   for Dutch 23 & 24 05:46  |  leo 24/04/08   26.   Mark #13 No real incentive? 06:01  |  MaryRose 24/04/08   27.   The UN should supply its own fuel 06:01  |  B 24/04/08   28.   Israel launches two terrorist attacks against Gaza Strip targets 06:09  |  David 24/04/08   29.   Crush the cockroaches, every last one of them, all of them 06:13  |  * BEN JABO 24/04/08   30.   lakshmi lies about genocide yet AGAIN 06:15  |  MaryRose 24/04/08   31.   #21 Genocide lakshmi 07:43  |  ka 24/04/08   32.   Hamas and its crazy ideology. 08:29  |  Jean Van Daem 24/04/08   33.   Dutch - Evil 08:31  |  ka 24/04/08   34.   #32 Pal Statehood 15:13  |  ka 24/04/08   35.   # 23 Dutch: benzine never tasted better 18:34  |  Darth Zaider (Ed) 24/04/08   36.   #23 Want a boring poster - Ask for DUTCH 23:41  |  * BEN JABO 24/04/08

Read & React White House: Syria must 'come clean' about nuclear facility Responses: 194 Ari Shavit: We can't fix Bush's mistakes with Carter's appeasement Responses: 91 Libya jibe on Gaza as Nazi camp sparks UN walkout by west Responses: 192 Iran warns Syria against ties with Israel, U.S. Responses: 105 Rosner's Domain The real numbers of the Jewish vote in Pennsylvania Syria does not want secret peace talks (WTR) New poll: Will the new spy case harm U.S.-Israel ties? Notes on the new Israeli-espionage affair More Headlines 03:18 Israel: Syria may rethink retaliation in light of nuclear revelations 02:25 U.S. official: No green light for IAF strike on Syria nuclear facility 01:00 Hamas set to agree on staged truce starting in Gaza Strip 05:53 Israeli envoy to UN calls Carter 'a bigot' for meeting Meshal 21:43 Ex-envoy Indyk: Syria won't talk to Israel unless U.S. present 02:35 Abbas asks Bush to keep closer eye on settlement expansion 05:54 Israel recognizes overseas adoption by gay couple, grants child citizenship 17:39 Jewish dating site JDate wins 'Oscars of the internet' honor 22:41 Libyan UN envoy: Gaza situation worse than Nazi camps 22:27 UN: Food aid to Gazans halted due to Israeli fuel cutoff 00:30 U.S. exhibit on 1936 Berlin Olympics echoes current debate 23:12 Cluster bomb left from 2006 war wounds 4 children in S. Lebanon Previous Editions Select Day 24 apr 23 apr 22 apr 21 apr 20 apr 18 apr 17 apr 16 apr 15 apr 14 apr 13 apr 11 apr

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