Israel has launched a sixth day of air strikes on Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, fighting between rival Palestinian factions has ebbed. Robert Berger reports from the VOA bureau in Jerusalem.
Israeli aircraft fired missiles at a car carrying members of the Islamic militant group Hamas in Gaza. The military said a massive explosion indicated that the vehicle was loaded with weapons. The army said it also targeted two rocket factories used by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
The air strikes are retaliation for Palestinian rocket attacks that have terrorized the Israeli border town of Sderot. Many residents have left and those who remain are angry.
They accused the government of failing to act decisively to stop the rocket attacks.
At the weekly Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said 120 Palestinian rockets have been fired at Israel since Wednesday. And he threatened tougher action.
"If the diplomatic and military efforts we have taken do not bring calm, we will have to escalate our response," Olmert said.
The air strikes coincided with a fragile truce between Hamas and the rival Palestinian Fatah faction. Gun battles on the streets of Gaza have left about 50 Palestinians dead during the past 10 days.
But after five previous ceasefires quickly collapsed, this one appears to be taking hold. Gunmen scaled back their presence on rooftops and at roadblocks, and battle weary residents ventured out of their homes to stock up on supplies.
This Palestinian is fed up with both Hamas and Fatah. "We have suffered too much and we do not need any more suffering."
Hamas said it believes this cease-fire will hold because it would be improper for the Palestinians to fight each other while Israel is bombing Gaza. - VOA News
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