"Fragile" Gaza ceasefire begins but shooting continues (4th Roundup)

Jan 18, 2009, 21:48 GMT

Tel Aviv/Gaza - Israel and the Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip implemented separate ceasefires Sunday to halt - for now - three weeks of intense fighting, which left more than 1,000 people dead and much of Gaza City in ruins.

Hours after the militant groups responded to Israel's Saturday night ceasefire declaration with an announcement of their own, pledging to hold their fire for one week on condition Israeli troops left the territory, groups of relieved Israeli troops began making their way across the border back to Israel.

A military official confirmed that Israel was pulling out some of the forces that entered on January 3 after a week-long air campaign, but refused to give more details or specify how many troops were being withdrawn.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told visiting European leaders Sunday night in Jerusalem that Israel was 'keen on getting out of the Gaza Strip with the greatest possible speed,' but said this would only happen after it was clear that the ceasefire was holding.

Despite the hopes of an end to the heaviest fighting in the Gaza Strip since the 1967 Middle East War, the fire did not cease completely. Palestinian militants launched around 20 missiles at southern Israel, and the Israeli military responded with three attacks of its own.

Several of the missiles were launched after the militant groups announced their ceasefire, but Israeli military officials said they assumed it would take some time for word of the halt to the rocket attacks to percolate down to all the launching squads.

Olmert told the European leaders that in order for the ceasefire to take hold, Hamas had to be prevented 'from rebuilding its military capabilities through the massive smuggling into the Gaza Strip of weapons from Iran and Syria.'

He thanked the leaders present in Jerusalem for a letter committing to help stopping arms smuggling. 'Now we have, together with the United States and Egypt, to translate the commitment into action,' Olmert said.

Earlier Sunday, the prime minister had told his cabinet at the start of the weekly meeting in Jerusalem that the Israeli unilateral ceasefire, which came into effect at 2 am (0000 GMT) was 'fragile' and needed to be examined 'minute by minute and hour by hour.'

'We hope the fire will cease, after we halted our fire, but if it continues the Israel Defence Force will respond,' he said. 'We will react without hesitation if this is required.'

The premier made the comments after militants had already launched rockets and opened small-arms fire at Israeli troops in the northern Gaza Strip. The troops called in air support and backup from armoured units, which fired on and hit Palestinians.

Air force aircraft also attacked one rocket-launching squad.

Shortly afterward, the Palestinian militant groups announced a ceasefire of their own, but said it was limited to one week and was conditional on Israel withdrawing its troops from the Gaza Strip.

'We in the Palestinian resistance movements announce a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and demand that enemy forces withdraw in one week and open all the border crossings to allow the entry of humanitarian aid,' said Mussa Abu Marzuq, number two man in the Hamas politburo in exile.

Announcing the ceasefire Saturday night, Olmert told a news conference that Israel had achieved the aims it set for itself when launching its Operation Cast Lead against Hamas in the Gaza Strip on December 27, and was therefore calling a halt to the fighting.

He apologized for heavy Palestinian casualties caused by the incessant Israeli attacks. Olmert said that Israeli troops would remain in the Gaza Strip for the time being and would respond if attacked.

The Palestinian militant groups initially rejected the Israeli ceasefire and greeted Olmert's announcement by launching a rocket salvo at the city of Beersheba.

Incessant Israeli air attacks devastated Gaza City and destroyed all Hamas security installations, and Israel ended the operation with troops deep in the coastal enclave. Yet the Islamist group issued a statement Sunday morning congratulating the Palestinians on 'a great victory' and saying it 'had caused heavy losses to the enemy and forced it to withdraw.'

Palestinian medical officials report that at least 1,300 Palestinians had been killed and more than 5,500 wounded, almost half of them civilians, since Israel began its military campaign on December 27.

Nine Israeli soldiers were killed in the ground fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, while an additional soldier and three civilians were killed and dozens more people wounded by the approximately 700 rockets the militants launched during the Israeli offensive.

Gaza emergency chief Mo'aweya Hassanein told reporters that Health Ministry rescue teams had found the bodies of 100 Palestinians killed during the three-week Israeli campaign. He said that they were found Sunday under the rubble of destroyed houses, mainly in southern, eastern and northern Gaza City and in the northern Gaza Strip towns of Jabalia and Beit Lahia.

Meanwhile, Israel opened a forward emergency room at the Erez crossing on the Gaza-Israel border to treat Palestinian wounded.

The European leaders, who included British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek arrived in Jerusalem from a summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where they met with Arab leaders to discuss forging a long-term peace in Gaza following the ceasefire.