By IBRAHIM BARZAK, AP
June 12, 2008
GAZA CITY - Israeli leaders yesterday decided not to launch a broad invasion of the Gaza Strip, in order to give efforts to broker a truce with Gaza's militant Hamas rulers more time to succeed.
Egypt has been trying for months to mediate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Security Cabinet met yesterday to discuss whether to invade Gaza or pursue the truce.
But Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev said the Israeli military will continue its preparations in case the talks fail.
The decision against a broad invasion came the same day an Israeli shell aimed at a group of militants in the southern Gaza Strip slammed into a nearby house, decapitating a 6-year-old girl in her back yard, Palestinian medical officials said.
The Israeli military said troops had opened fire at militants preparing to launch rockets into Israel.
The military said it successfully hit the rocket squad, but was unaware of any Palestinian civilian casualties.
Associated Press Television News footage showed the girl's head had been blown off.
Israeli troops are facing off against Hamas in Gaza while trying to make peace with Palestinian moderates in the West Bank.
The two sides formally relaunched talks late last year at a US-sponsored conference, and set a year-end target for reaching a final accord.
But the peacemaking has been fraught with tensions over issues that have derailed past peace talks: Israeli concerns about Palestinian attacks and continued Israeli construction in Palestinian-claimed areas.
Security officials said Israel's point man for the truce talks, Amos Gilad, would head to Cairo in the next few days to try to advance the cease-fire efforts.
In the meantime, officials said the current Israeli policy of limited reprisals would continue.
In newspaper interviews published yesterday, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said he was "absolutely certain" the two sides would not reach a deal this year.
