Crunch time for Gaza truce

talks as death toll passes 800

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(Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State ohn !erry pressed re"ional leaders to nail do#n a
Gaza ceasefire on $riday as the ci%ilian death toll soared& and further %iolence loomed
'et#een (sraelis and )alestinians in the occupied *est +ank and erusalem.
*ith (srael and ,amas-led (slamist fi"hters settin" seemin"ly irreconcila'le terms for
a truce that mediators hope #ill 'e"in 'y a -uslim festi%al ne.t #eek& !erry #orked
the phones from /"ypt& #hile aides made clear his patience #as #anin".
0he ur"ency #as spurred on 0hursday 'y the killin" of 12 people as they sheltered at a
U.3.-run school in the northern Gaza Strip& #hich local officials 'lamed on (sraeli
shellin".
(srael said its forces had come under attack from )alestinian "uerrillas in the area of
the school and that they had shot 'ack. (t accused ,amas of pre%entin" any
e%acuation.
Gaza officials said (sraeli strikes killed 45 people on $riday& includin" the head of
media operations for ,amas ally (slamic ihad and his son. 0hey put the num'er of
)alestinian deaths in 18 days of conflict at 816& most of them ci%ilians.
(n the occupied *est +ank& #here U.S.-'acked )alestinian )resident -ahmoud 7''as
"o%erns in uneasy coordination #ith (srael& 10&000 demonstrators marched in
solidarity #ith Gaza o%erni"ht - a scale recallin" mass re%olts of the past.
)rotesters sur"ed a"ainst an (sraeli army checkpoint& thro#in" rocks and -oloto%
cocktails& and )alestinian medics said one #as shot dead and 400 #ounded #hen
troops opened fire.
8n $riday& (sraeli paramilitary police #ent on hi"h alert for flare-ups at erusalem9s
most important mos:ue durin" prayers for the final stretch of the Ramadan -uslim
holy month.
;itzhak 7harono%itch& (srael9s police minister and a mem'er of the security ca'inet&
said he #as shuttlin" 'et#een consultations on ho# to contain the risin" hostilities.
<*e ha%e had a %ery difficult ni"ht&< he told (srael9s 7rmy Radio. <( hope #e can "et
throu"h today all ri"ht.<
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(srael said an army reser%ist #as killed in Gaza on $riday& 'rin"in" to >> the num'er of
soldiers lost in a "round ad%ance it says aims to destroy dozens of cross-'order tunnels
used 'y ,amas to threaten its southern farmin" %illa"es and army 'ases.
0hree ci%ilians ha%e 'een killed in (srael 'y rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza - the
kind of shellin" that sur"ed last month amid ,amas an"er at a crackdo#n on its
acti%ists in the *est +ank& promptin" the uly 8 launch of the (sraeli offensi%e.
7 flurry of lon"-ran"e rocket launches on $riday set off sirens around (srael9s
commercial capital of 0el 7%i%. Se%eral rockets #ere shot do#n 'y the (ron ?ome
interceptor. 7 'uildin" #as hit in the southern port of 7shkelon 'ut no one #as hurt.
(sraeli )rime -inister +en@amin 3etanyahu #as to con%ene the security ca'inet on
$riday to discuss a limited humanitarian truce under #hich )alestinian mo%ement
#ould 'e freed up to allo# in aid and for the dead and #ounded to 'e reco%ered.
7 )alestinian official close to the ne"otiations said 0urkey and Aatar had proposed a 5-
day halt to the fi"htin"& #hich had 'een relayed to (srael 'y !erry #hile ,amas
considered it.
7n (sraeli official ackno#led"ed that the proposal had 'een recei%ed& 'ut said any
decision 'y the 3etanyahu "o%ernment #ould likely come after ,amas had deli%ered
its o#n response.
(srael insists that& e%en if such a ceasefire is a"reed& its army #ill continue di""in" up
tunnels alon" Gaza9s eastern frontier& a mission that could take 'et#een one and t#o
#eeks.
3etanyahu has said a truce should also lead to the e%entual strippin" of Gaza9s rocket
arsenals - somethin" ,amas rules out.
<*e must stop the rocket launches. ,o# this is done - #hether throu"h occupyin"
(Gaza)& or 'roadenin" (the operation)& or (international) "uarantees& or anythin" else& (
ha%e to see it #ith my o#n eyes&< said 7harono%itch.
0he rockets ha%e sent (sraelis re"ularly rushin" to shelters and dented the economy
despite (ron ?ome9s hi"h rate of success.
7 ,amas rocket intercepted near +en Gurion 7irport on 0uesday prompted the U.S.
$ederal 7%iation 7dministration ($77) to halt 7merican commercial fli"hts to (srael9s
main international "ate#ay. Some /uropean carriers follo#ed suit.
olted 'y the 'lo# at the hei"ht of an already sta"nant summer tourism season& (srael
persuaded U.S. authorities to lift the fli"ht 'an on 0hursday& after #hich the /uropean
a%iation re"ulator remo%ed its o#n ad%isory a"ainst flyin" to +en Gurion.
(n the second such sal%o in as many days& ,amas said it fired three rockets at the
airport on $riday& an apparent 'id to cripple operations there a"ain. 0here #as no
#ord of impacts at +en Gurion& #hose passen"er hall emptied at the sound of sirens.
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,amas leader !haled -eshaal had on *ednesday %oiced support for a humanitarian
truce& 'ut only if (srael eased restrictions on Gaza9s 1.8 million people. ,amas #ants
/"ypt to open up its 'order #ith Gaza& too& and demands that (srael release hundreds
of prisoners rounded up in the *est +ank last month follo#in" the kidnap and killin"
of three e#ish seminary students.
Such concessions appear unlikely& ho#e%er& as 'oth (srael and /"ypt consider ,amas a
security threat.
8ne Cairo official said ne.t #eek9s /id al-$itr festi%al& #hich concludes Ramadan& #as
a possi'le date for a truce. +ut U.S. officials #ere circumspect on pro"ress made 'y
!erry& #hose mediation has in%ol%ed /"ypt& 0urkey& Aatar and 7''as& as *ashin"ton&
like (srael and the /uropean Union& #on9t deal directly #ith ,amas& #hich it considers
a terrorist "roup.
<Secretary !erry has 'een on the phone all mornin"& and he #ill remain in close touch
#ith leaders in the re"ion o%er the course of the mornin" as he continues #ork on
achie%in" a ceasefire&C said a senior U.S. State ?epartment official in Cairo& #hich has
'een !erryDs 'ase o%er the last four days as he has tried to 'rin" a'out a temporary end
to the conflict.
8n 0hursday& a U.S. official said !erry #as seekin" a #ay of 'rid"in" "aps 'et#een
(srael and ,amas 'ut that the diplomat #ould not stay in the re"ion <for an indefinite
amount of time<.
-ore than 1E0&000 )alestinians ha%e 'een displaced in Gaza 'y the fi"htin"& many of
them seekin" shelter in 'uildin"s run 'y the United 3ations Relief and *orks 7"ency
(U3R*7).
7n U3R*7 spokesman said the a"ency had tried in %ain to arran"e #ith (srael to
e%acuate ci%ilians from the school in northern +eit ,anoun 'efore it #as shelled on
0hursday.
Scores of cryin" families #ho had 'een li%in" in the school ran #ith their children to a
hospital a fe# hundred metres a#ay #here the %ictims #ere 'ein" treated. =aila 7l-
Shin'ari& a #oman #ho #as at the school #hen it #as hit& told Reuters that families
had "athered in the courtyard e.pectin" to 'e e%acuated shortly in a Red Cross con%oy.
<7ll of us sat in one place #hen suddenly four shells landed on our heads ... +odies
#ere on the "round& (there #as) 'lood and screams. -y son is dead& and all my
relati%es are #ounded& includin" my other kids&< she said& #eepin".
(7dditional reportin" 'y 8ri =e#is in erusalem& 3oah +ro#nin" in Gaza& 7rshad
-ohammed& ;asmine Saleh and Shadia 3asralla in CairoF *ritin" 'y ?an *illiamsF
/ditin" 'y *ill *aterman and Giles /l"ood)
)osted 'y 0ha%am