Israeli Envoy To Attend Truce Talks

Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli defence official, is going to travel to Cairo to attend the talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Senior Israeli defence official Amos Gilad is traveling to Cairo for talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The announcement that Gilad will attend the talks has raised hopes for a ceasefire that would bring at least a break from 19 days of fighting that have left more than 1,000 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead. Israel has stated it will not agree to a temporary ceasefire that would allow Hamas to rearm and this has underscored the gap between the two sides in Egyptian-brokered talks. Hamas has rejected an open-ended truce and is seeking a more limited six-month agreement that could be renewed. Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said: "Israel will not accept a situation where Hamas gets a temporary period of quiet just to rearm and regroup and that ends with further rocket barrages on Israel. "Israel seeks a durable quiet that contains a total absence of hostile fire from Gaza into Israel and a working mechanism to prevent Hamas from rearming." Hamas first rebuffed an Egyptian ceasefire proposal, however, officials said progress was being made on most of the outstanding issues. Apparently, the Egyptian proposal may be implemented in as many as three phases. Israeli and Palestinian fighters would accept a "lull" in fighting to allow for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to aid Gaza's 1.5 million residents. During this phase, Israeli troops could remain in parts of the coastal territory but would not advance. The second phase involves border security arrangements to combat arms smuggling being finalized and the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would be reopened under the auspices of European monitors, the diplomat said. If both sides hold their fire, Israel would complete its withdrawal and open Gaza's other border crossings to let in goods.