From Deseret News archives:
Israel conditionally welcomes cease-fire proposal
Hamas said any deal must include an opening of Gaza's borders. But the proposal still could mark the first sign of a possible break in 12 days of deadly fighting.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in Paris that both Israel and the moderate Palestinian leadership in charge of the West Bank had accepted the truce proposal, but Israeli officials did not confirm that.
In Turkey, meanwhile, a diplomat said that country will be given the task of constructing an international force for Gaza.
Both Israel and Hamas appeared to seek guarantees about the details of a cease-fire, before agreeing to halt the fighting.
Israel said it would support the proposal only if it halts "hostile fire" from Hamas in Gaza and includes measures to prevent the militant group from rearming, said government spokesman Mark Regev.
"Israel welcomes the initiative of the French president and the Egyptian president to bring about a sustainable quiet in the south," he said.
Hamas said Israel does not seem to be serious about reaching a cease-fire."Israel is still widening and escalating its aggression and is not giving any positive signals in response to these efforts," Ghazi Hammad said.
The precise details of the Egyptian-French proposal remain unclear, but it comes as international outrage grows over civilian deaths in Gaza.
About 300 of the more than 670 Palestinians killed so far were civilians, according to Palestinian and U.N. figures. Of those killed, at least 130 are children 16 and younger, says the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights, which tracks casualties.
Israel has lost six soldiers since launching a ground offensive on Saturday ¯ four of them in "friendly fire" incidents ¯ and four other Israelis have been killed by rocket fire, three of them civilians, since fighting began on Dec. 27.
With Gazans increasingly suffering the effects of nonstop airstrikes and shelling, Israel's military said it would open "humanitarian corridors" to allow aid to reach Palestinians.
Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner said the 1 to 4 p.m. "recess in offensive operations" was aimed at allowing in supplies and fuel. He said similar lulls in the coming days would be considered.
Lerner said that even during the pause, "For every attack against the army, there will be a response." The scale of fighting appeared to drop after the lull took effect, gaining in scope again when it expired.
Before Wednesday's brief lull, Israel said it struck 40 Hamas targets overnight. Gaza health officials said strikes Wednesday morning killed eight people.
