Israel has yesterday violated the three-hour truce it had declared two days ago, and the Palestinian resistance said it killed an Israeli soldier in retaliation. In Cairo, discussions are underway to find ways of implementing the Security Council resolution on an immediate and binding cease-fire between the Israelis and the Palestinians In an effort to activate the Egyptian initiative, President Hosni Mubarak met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Also Omar Suleiman will meet today with the Hamas delegation. Meanwhile, demonstrations erupted in Beheira, Dakahlia and Fayoum against the Israeli massacre, while Cairo did not have demonstrations due to the mid-term exams of schools and universities. However, the Union of Arab Lawyers said it will file a lawsuit against the Israeli leaders before the International Court of Justice. The military operation in the Gaza Strip yesterday started its 15th day with an incursion into Gaza City that was accompanied by intense air raids and artillery shelling, especially during the truce. At least 20 Palestinians were killed in 70 such raids on Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun, Bureij Camps, Khan Younis and the Sheikh Radwan and Zeitoon neighborhoods. The total death toll since December 27 reached 840, including 230 children. Israeli sources said that thousands of reserve soldiers have finished their intensive military training to join the forces in the sector. The public radio reported that the troops await the green light from Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the Security Cabinet to start the ‘Decisive Crossroads' on Gaza. On the other hand, Jerusalem Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) said they shot an Israeli soldier and bombed an Israeli battalion. The Palestinian President in a statement following his meeting with President Mubarak called on Hamas to accept without hesitation the Egyptian initiative for a cease-fire in Gaza. German Foreign Minister Frank Steinmeier following a meeting with Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit yesterday said Germany will send experts on border protection to meet with their Egyptian counterparts and discuss ways of preventing smuggling into the Gaza Strip.
