Israeli defense to recommend 48-hour truce with Hamas

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-31 00:25

JERUSALEM - The Israeli defense establishment said Tuesday it would recommend Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to embark on a 48-hour truce with Hamas, before it becomes necessary to begin a significant ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

The defense establishment would recommend Olmert to seek out a diplomatic initiative to abate the war against Hamas and initiate a 48-hour ceasefire, local daily Ha'aretz reported on its website.

Israeli government will announce its decision regarding the temporary truce over the coming hours, said the report, adding that the initiative is seen as a possibility to cease the operation before sending a massive Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ground corps into Gaza.

Senior Israeli defense officials believe that such a diplomatic process need not be a unilateral Israeli procedure, but should rather be based on an initiative originally proposed by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, said the report.

The goal of the temporary calm would be to see if Hamas can abide by the truce and cease firing rockets at Israel, it added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said IDF will continue its military action in Gaza against Hamas until all the goals are met.

Barak made the remarks to Israel Army Radio, as the operation, dubbed Cast Lead, entered the fourth day. Hundreds of places in Gaza were bombed during the unprecedented air strikes beginning Saturday, causing more than 369 Palestinians killed so far.

The IDF operation would intensify "as much as needed to meet the goals we set for ourselves, to bring quiet to the South," the defense minister was quoted as saying.

The operation also aims "to strike a severe blow to Hamas," he said, "in order to bring about an end to firing and other operations against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers."