Militants break ceasefire in settlement attack
Palestinian militants fired a barrage of mortar shells at a Jewish settlement in the southern Gaza Strip early today, the military said, in the first serious breach of the ceasefire declared at a Red Sea summit.
Army Radio reported that 25 mortar shells were aimed at the settlement, and 13 exploded inside the perimeter, causing damage but no casualties.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas planned to go to Gaza later for talks with militant groups to try to cement the ceasefire he declared on Tuesday with Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon.
Yesterday, Israel declared some relaxing of restrictions as part of the truce.
The military said 2,000 workers from the West Bank and 1,000 from Gaza, in addition to 500 merchants, would be allowed to cross into Israel – easing a closure clamped on the territories weeks ago after repeated attacks by militants.
Before violence erupted four years ago, more than 100,000 Palestinians used to cross into Israel every day to work, providing a source of income for poverty-stricken areas. Israel closed the gates as part of its measures to stop attacks, but the restrictions – including dozens of West Bank roadblocks – have decimated the Palestinian economy.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said Israel would not only withdraw from five Palestinian population centres; but also, it would remove the roadblocks around them.
“We agreed that they (Israelis) will pull out of five Palestinian … cities and surrounding areas, and also on the removal of roadblocks, which will be manned by the Palestinian forces,” Abbas said.
In past periods of calm, Israel pulled its troops out of the towns but left the surrounding roadblocks in place – in effect quarantining the towns despite their exit. Now, according to an Israeli defence official, troops will remove the roadblocks near the towns, though the ones blocking entrance from the West Bank into Israel will remain in place.
Israel says it needs the checkpoints to stop suicide bombers and other attackers. However, in a recent report, the World Bank said Israeli restrictions on the flow of people and goods were the main cause of economic hardship in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where nearly half of Palestinians live on less than €1.45 a day.
Abbas has been working to prevent attacks by militants on Israel and planned to head to Gaza today to discuss the ceasefire with leaders of armed groups. Abbas insists that all the militant groups have signed on to the truce, but leaders of violent Islamic groups, responsible for dozens of suicide bombings in Israel, deny that.
The calm held yesterday. In the only reported incident, the military said Palestinians threw rocks at a car in the West Bank after nightfall, slightly injuring an Israeli civilian.
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