Gaza City: Israel slowed the pace of its raids on Gaza on Monday and held off a threatened ground incursion as the world intensified efforts to broker a truce around the Palestinian territory. Ministers at a Sunday night security cabinet meeting reportedly decided against putting boots on the ground — for the time being.
As diplomatic efforts gained momentum, the pace of both Israel’s raids on Gaza and the militant rocket fire slowed noticeably, with commentators drawing a link with behind-the-scenes ceasefire efforts.
Following a night in which Israel struck 40 targets, the pace of the airstrikes appeared to slow noticeably — and with it the death toll. Four people were killed on Monday. A fifth died of injuries from an earlier strike, Gaza emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said.
Early Monday, Israel said it had used Patriot surface-to-air-missile to shoot down a drone off the Ashdod coastline, 28 km north of Gaza. On Monday, the Hamas movement said it would not end hostilities without concessions by Israel and that no serious efforts towards a truce had been made.
“Talk of a ceasefire requires real and serious efforts, which we haven't seen so far,” Hamas MP Mushir al-Masri said. Hamas’ conditions include: Lifting Israel's eight-year blockade on the Gaza Strip; opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt; release of Palestinian prisoners Israel has rearrested after freeing them in exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.
