Gaza fighting slows as Israel counters Hamas offer

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-01-16 21:28

Israeli and Western sources, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity on Friday, said Israel has objected to putting a time limit on the truce.

"A time limit ... is a mistake," a senior Israeli source said, noting how a six-month truce last year ended in violence.

Another major Israeli counter-demand is that Abbas's forces staff crossing points, as they did before Hamas took over Gaza. Hamas and Fatah are bitterly at odds, adding to Abbas's many difficulties in negotiating a peace settlement with Israel that would give Palestinians a state in Gaza and the West Bank.

Fearing violence from Gazans' fellow Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israel imposed sweeping additional controls on movement and flooded Jerusalem's Old City with armed security personnel during Muslim weekly prayers.

UN Secretary-General Ban condemned as an "outrage" an Israeli attack on Thursday on a UN storage compound in Gaza which destroyed desperately needed food supplies.

Launched on December 27 with the stated objective of ending Hamas rocket attacks on Israel, the Israeli offensive has killed some 1,132 Palestinians and wounded 5,100, the Gaza Health Ministry said. A Palestinian human rights group put the civilian death toll as of January 15 at around 700.

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