Israel to end military actions if rocket fire stops

Israel would end its military operations if Palestinian militants uphold a pledge they made earlier in the day to halt Qassam rocket fire, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Saturday night, local daily Ha'aretz reported.

Olmert made the remarks during a telephone call with Palestinian National Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas informed Olmert of the offer to end rocket strikes in return for a cessation of military activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

On Saturday evening, the Palestinian military groups announced that they had agreed that, as of Sunday morning, they would halt the rocket fire on Israel. They agreed to a unilateral ceasefire during talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, Minister for the Interior Said Sayyam, the mediator between Hamas and Fatah on the formation of a national unity government Dr. Moustafa Barghouti.

In return, the representatives of the factions demanded that Israel end its operations in Gaza. The group agreed that the ceasefire will go into effect at 6 am on Sunday.

Spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees Abu Abir was quoted as saying that the Palestinians expect Israel to stop its operations in the West Bank as well. He also said that Israel must first end the targeted killings and its invasion of Gaza.

"After that we can talk about what we would view as a violation of the cease-fire," he said.

A Hamas militant was killed and four other people were wounded in an Israel Air Force strike on a vehicle in Gaza City's Zeitun quarter Saturday evening. Palestinian sources said that two militants were killed in separate incidents, including one who belonged to Islamic Jihad.

Meanwhile, Qassam attacks against Israeli towns in the western Negev continued on Saturday. A Qassam rocket fired by gunmen from the northern Gaza Strip landed in greenhouses in Netiv Hasara on Saturday evening. Hours later two rockets landed in open fields in western Negev. No one was injured and no damage was reported.

Source: Xinhua