Despite flare-ups, Egypt claims Gaza truce near

Egyptian officials said they believe Hamas and Israel are close to an agreement on a temporary cease-fire of about 18 months. Egypt, which wants to be able to announce a new truce by February 5, has proposed that Israel and the Palestinians halt any military activity, and that Israel agree to a partial opening of the crossings.

Hamas will receive assurances that the crossings will open fully in the future to bring in all goods, including some, such as iron and concrete, that Israel had prohibited because of concern it would be used for terror activities.

Meanwhile, the first mortar shell to hit the Negev since Operation Cast Lead was fired last night at the Eshkol region, landing in an open area and causing no damage.

"We expect the government of Israel not to be dragged into a policy of restraint and respond harshly in order to protect the security of the residents of the region around Gaza," said Eshkol Regional Council head Haim Yellin.

Throughout the day pictures were broadcast from Gaza of launchings of Qassasm rockets, but Israeli security officials said they had seen neither launches nor rocket landings in Israel.

Security sources said yesterday that Israel might expand its military response following the escalation of violence by Palestinians over the past two days. The Israel Air Force attacked tunnels used to smuggle fuel from Egypt to the Gaza Strip via the Philadephi Route in Rafah.

The attack was preceded by high level discussions in the security establishment and the government to decide the best reaction to Tuesday's killing of an IDF tracker by a remote-control Palestinian bomb north of Kibbutz Kissufim.

The sources said Israel had a wide variety of possible responses and might have to react harshly to make clear to the Palestinians that the cease-fire has to be completely preserved.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced yesterday morning that he was postponing his visit to the United States to meet with his American counterpart, Robert Gates, but that the deteriorating security situation required him to remain here.

Speaking at a lecture at Herzilya's Interdisciplinary Center, Barak said, "an ephemeral group, not connected to Hamas" was behind Tuesday's bombing, but that Israel saw Hamas as responsible for the attack and would continue to respond to it.

Barak said the bombing that killed the tracker was part of a "transitional" period following the Gaza operation.

"There might be one or two more incidents like this, but all in all we feel we are on the way to attaining quiet," he said.

Israel is receiving continuous updates from Egypt on their talks with Hamas' leadership over the cease-fire agreement now being formulated. The Israeli dilemma now is reportedly whether to step up the response to Tuesday morning's attack, making good on the threats that senior officials, including Olmert, IDF officers and ministers have made, or to give the Egypt-brokered talks a chance.

If Israel undertakes a harsher military response than it has done so far, sources say it will do so in the hope of maintaining deterrance against Hamas. However, there is also a risk that Hamas will respond with heavy rocket fire on the Negev, and the Egyptian effort will come to nill.

Israel has told Egypt that the full opening of the crossings would only come after the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Egypt has therefore proposed the partial reponing of the crossings in exchange for a cease-fire.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said that Cairo did not accept Israel's demand for a link between the opening of the crossings and a deal for Shalit's release. However, they also said the matter could be re-opened once an agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas on a renewed lull.

Hamas yesterday again rejected any link between the opening of the crossings and Shalit's release.

Israel also told Egypt it demanded the creation of a security buffer 500 meters from the fence, in which all Palestinian movement would be prohibited.

A member of the Hamas delegation to Cairo, Ayman Taha, said his organization would respond in detail to the cease-fire proposal it had received from Egypt. He also said Hamas rejected a return to the conditions of the previous temporary cease-fire, which expired December 19, 2008, giving way to wider conflict, as well as Israel's security buffer demand.

Taha said Hamas had extended its decision to stop firing, taken immediately after the end of the Gaza operation, until February 5, when an agreement is to be signed between the parties that he said would include a full opening of the crossings and a lifting of the siege. According to Taha, the Hamas leadership would, "not agree to a temporary cease-fire without a complete lifting of the siege and the entry into Gaza of all necessary supplies."

Taha said discussions of the opening of the Rafah crossing into Egypt had been delayed by the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. He also said Hamas had demanded a meeting in Cairo of all parties involved in the operation of the Rafah crossing, but that the Palestinian Authority had thwarted the meeting.

Meanwhile the IDF renewed permission yesterday for goods and fuel into the Gaza Strip, and to bring injured Palestinians out, via the four crossings between Israel and the Strip - Kerem Shalom, Karni, Nahal Oz and Erez.