Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Friday evening warned that his country will not tolerate the continuing rocket attacks from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Throughout the day, at least 16 rockets fired by Gazan militants landed in southern Israel, injuring an elderly woman and further rattling the Egypt-brokered five-month-old ceasefire between Israel and Gazan militant groups.
"Israel views missile fire and attempts to carry out terrorist attacks from the Gaza Strip as a fundamental, gross violation of the understandings that led to the truce," local daily Ha'aretz quoted Olmert as saying after meeting with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and other military and security officials.
He stressed that Israel "has no intention of reconciling with these events," vowing that the government will not allow southern residents to return to a state of uncertainty that had haunted them before the ceasefire.
The latest violence came in the wake of a rocking week, which started on Nov. 4 when Israeli paratroopers killed six Hamas gunmen in a Gaza operation and the Gaza-ruler responded with a barrage of rockets. Since then, over 10 Palestinian militants have been killed and Israel was stricken by tens of rockets.
Recent flare-ups have become "the de facto conclusion of the lull, even if there are those who refuse to recognize this," Vice Premier Haim Ramon was quoted as saying earlier Friday.
During a visit to the bombarded town of Sderot, Defense Minister Barak also vowed that the government would take decisive moves to protect local residents and soldiers and to "keep acting against attempts to interrupt the cease-fire."
Lately, some Israeli officials, however, have voiced willingness to maintain the truce, which both sides had generally honored for months, despite mounting worries that recent flare-ups might kill the deal before its first phase of six months ends in mid-December.
If Hamas "will want or wish to keep the cease-fire alive, we'll consider it seriously," Barak said, one day after the Jewish state reportedly delivered a message to Hamas via Egypt that it has no interest in escalating tensions along the border.
Earlier on Friday, a senior Israeli diplomat also told local news service Ynet that the situation has "not yet reached the point of no return."
"If Hamas stops the shooting, we can renew the terms of the truce," he said, adding "Israel has made many efforts to get the message across that it is interested in continuing the truce."
Meanwhile, Israeli officials issued harsh warnings to militants in the Palestinian enclave, vowing that the militants would pay hefty prices if they continue with attacks against Israeli targets.
(Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2008)
