WORLD> Middle East
Gaza fighting rages despite cease-fire proposal
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-01-08 07:37

Despite the violence, a surprise announcement in Paris on Wednesday put a spotlight on diplomacy.


A Palestinian stands atop the ruins of a destroyed house after an Israeli air strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip January 7, 2009. [Agencies]

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that both Israel and the Palestinian Authority had accepted the cease-fire deal, but he made no mention of Hamas, without whom no truce could work. The Palestinian Authority controls only the West Bank while Hamas rules Gaza -- two territories on opposite sides of Israel that are supposed to make up a future Palestinian state.

Later, Israeli officials made it clear Sarkozy's statement was not exactly accurate.

"Israel welcomes the initiative of the French president and the Egyptian president to bring about a sustainable quiet in the south," said Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev.

But for Israel to accept the proposal, he said, "there has to be a total and complete cessation of all hostile fire from Gaza into Israel, and ... we have to see an arms embargo on Hamas that will receive international support."

For its part, Hamas said it would not accept a truce deal unless it includes an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza -- something Israel says it is not willing to do.