Israel exits Gaza

- Israeli forces were pulling out of the Gaza Strip yesterday following a tentative truce with Hamas which allowed Palestinians to take stock of the devastating three-week war.

But with a defiant Hamas vowing to fight on if the withdrawal was not completed before next week, it was unclear how long the peace would last, even as world leaders continued to look for a long-term solution.

Meanwhile, bulldozers cleared rubble from streets in the Hamas-ruled territory and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said more than 22,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, estimating a total repair bill in the enclave of at least US$1.9 billion (S$2.8 billion).

Israeli military officials said troops and tanks which had poured into the Gaza Strip on Jan 3 as part of an offensive to counter Palestinian rocket attacks were gradually leaving, though they remained ready to tackle any flare-up in fighting.

Israel and Hamas separately declared ceasefires on Sunday, to the relief of Western powers which, while publicly sympathetic to the Jewish state's security concerns, were alarmed by the mounting humanitarian toll.

Palestinians emerged from hiding, horrified by the killing of more than 1,300 fellow Gazans and the widespread destruction of homes and government infrastructure.

Gaza medical officials said the Palestinian death toll included at least 700 civilians. Israel, which accused Hamas of endangering non-combatants by operating in densely populated areas, said hundreds of gunmen were among the dead. Hamas' armed wing challenged the figure, saying it lost 48 fighters.

Ten Israeli soldiers were killed and three Israeli civilians were hit by rockets, Israel said.

But the one-sided nature of the casualty toll did not stop Gaza-based Hamas administration head Ismail Haniyeh claiming a 'popular victory' against Israel.

'The enemy has failed to achieve its goals,' he said in a speech.

Hamas' truce decision, conditioned on Israel withdrawing within a week, was 'wise and responsible', he said.

At the same time, a spokesman for Hamas' Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades said 'all options would be open' if Israel did not meet the group's pullout deadline.

Ominously, spokesman Abu Obeida also used a live televised address on Al-Jazeera to say: 'Our capacity to launch rockets has not been diminished and we will launch more rockets with God's help.'

Israel launched its assault on Dec 27 vowing to 'change the reality' for its southern border towns that, since 2001, had taken fire from Hamas and other Palestinian factions armed mostly with improvised short-range rockets.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni responded to the latest threat by telling Israel Radio: 'If Hamas fires rockets at Israel, it will get hit again, just like they got hit now, and they know it.'

Israeli Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter went a step further, warning of a military response to any renewed flow of arms into the Gaza Strip.

He told the radio station: 'That means if smuggling is renewed, Israel will view it as if it were fired upon.'

For now, the Gaza situation looks much as it did before the conflict - armed stand-off and a dim future for the 1.5 million people fenced inside the strip by a blockade aimed at punishing Islamist Hamas for rocket fire and ambitions to destroy Israel.

'I don't know what sort of future I have now - only God knows my future after this,' said Ms Amani Kurdi, a 19-year-old student, as she surveyed the wreckage of Gaza's Islamic University, where she had studied science.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was joined on Sunday by leaders of Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy and the current president of the European Union, the Czech Republic, for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

They visited Egypt and Israel to support the ceasefire, and have called on Israel to open Gaza's borders to aid as soon as possible.

Yesterday, Israel opened three border crossings to shipments of food and other basic necessities, and a spokesman for Mr Olmert said 'enormous amounts' of aid could be allowed in if the quiet holds. source>>>

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