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Israel mulls cease-fire proposals

01 January 2009 09:59 (UTC +04:00)

Baku - APA. Israel mulled proposals for a truce to its Gaza offensive on Wednesday but ruled out any temporary halts, as jets pounded Hamas targets for a fifth day and the Islamists pummelled Israel with rockets, AFP reports.

Amid mushrooming protests around the globe, the world’s top diplomats scrambled to find a way to end one of Israel’s deadliest-ever offensives on Gaza that has so far killed at least 390 Palestinians.

The Israeli security cabinet convened in Tel Aviv to consider international proposals of a truce , with a senior government official telling AFP the Jewish state would not agree to a French offer of a 48-hour lull.

A foreign ministry spokesman said that the Jewish state would only consider a permanent halt to its operation, under the condition that Hamas stops firing rockets and acquiring arms.

The bombardment has raised concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, a tiny, aid-dependent territory of 1.5 million which Israel has virtually sealed off since Hamas seized power in June 2007.