US warns Israel ally against Gaza ground assault; Egypt proposes truce

GAZA CITY/CAIRO — Egypt proposed a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and its Islamist foe Hamas to start at 0600 GMT Tuesday and be followed by talks on easing the flow of goods into Gaza.

The proposal late on Monday came on the eve of a scheduled visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry to Egypt, a traditional broker in Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, to push for a halt to seven days of exchanges that have left 184 Gazans dead.

“0600 GMT has been set for the beginning of the implementation of truce arrangements between the two sides,” the text of the proposal said.

There was no immediate reaction from Israel or Hamas, which have both said they are not yet prepared to accept a ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Washington warned its Israeli ally Monday against any ground invasion of Gaza. 

The White House stopped short of criticising Israel over the civilian casualty toll from its devastating air and artillery bombardment of the densely populated Palestinian enclave that has drawn flak from the United Nations and human rights watchdogs.

It said the Israeli government had the “right” and “responsibility” to defend its citizens against rocket attacks by its Islamist foe Hamas from its Gaza stronghold.

But it said even more civilians would be put at risk were Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to heed hardliners in his governing coalition and send in troops and armour.

With Israel’s punishing air campaign in its seventh day, the death toll in Gaza hit 184, prompting growing calls for a ceasefire which have so far showed little sign of progress.

Ahead of an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo, Hamas shot down hopes of a deal to end the violence, saying no serious moves had been made.

“Talk of a ceasefire requires real and serious efforts, which we haven’t seen so far,” Hamas MP Mushir Al Masri told AFP in Gaza City.

“Any ceasefire must be based on the conditions we have outlined. Nothing less than that will be accepted,” he said, in a show of defiance in the face of the withering Israeli bombardment.

Israel has said it is not ready to countenance a ceasefire either, as it seeks to deal ever harsher blows to Hamas and stamp out its capacity to fire rockets deep into Israel.

In a bid to add Washington’s weight to truce efforts, US Secretary of State John Kerry is to fly into Cairo on Tuesday, Egyptian state media reported.

“Kerry will visit Egypt tomorrow, Tuesday, to conduct talks with senior officials,” the official MENA news agency reported.

There was no immediate comment from the State Department, with Israeli press reports suggesting Kerry would also visit Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah, headquarters of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Rising civilian toll

In Gaza City’s Tel Al Hawa neighbourhood, relatives of a retired economics professor in his 80s looked at the damage to his home, clearly bemused as to why it should have been targeted by an Israeli missile.

This time, the family escaped unharmed, fleeing after an initial warning strike. But the missile itself failed to explode, drawing a crowd of curious onlookers as officials wondered how to remove it.

Human rights groups say more than 75 per cent of the dead have been non-combatants. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees says more than a quarter of them have been children.

Although Israel has confirmed preparations for a possible ground attack, it appeared to be holding off with the security Cabinet meeting reportedly deciding against putting boots on the ground — for now.

But the pace of the air strikes slowed noticeably on Monday.

Seven people were killed, far fewer than the 56 killed on Saturday, the bloodiest day by far of a campaign which began before dawn on July 8 with the aim of halting militant rocket fire on southern Israel.

So far, no Israelis have been killed. A handful have been seriously wounded.

The rocket fire has since intensified, with Hamas fighters launching more than 800 rockets at cities across Israel, including occupied Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the northern city of Hadera. A further 187 have been shot down.

“The military steps being taken by both sides in the last 24 hours were a function, among other things, of the developments in the dialogue,” Alex Fishman wrote in the top-selling Yediot Aharonot newspaper, saying the state of negotiations should become clear “in the next 24 hours”.

“If no catastrophe takes place, that causes a particularly high number of fatalities on either side, the likelihood is that the fire will abate as early as this week.”

As the human scale of the tragedy grew, a senior military official said the army was using a “pain map”, hitting targets seen as most valuable to the Islamist movement.

So far, Hamas does not appear in any mood for concessions.

Masri said its conditions would include a lifting of Israel’s eight-year blockade on Gaza, the opening of its Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and the release of prisoners Israel rearrested after freeing them in exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.

Speaking to AFP in Cairo, another Hamas official said a general framework had been presented, but the leadership wanted more than it gained in a previous truce which ended the last major round of violence with Israel.

“We need to build on the 2012 truce and move forward,” he said.