Israeli aircraft strike Gaza as leaders convene peace talks

MILITANTS launched mortar shells into Israel and Israeli jets bombed targets in Gaza, just as Israeli and Palestinian leaders held peace talks in Jerusalem with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Gaza militants opposed to peace with Israel have threatened to derail the fledgling negotiations, and the Israeli military said eight mortars and one rocket hit Israel by mid-afternoon on the day of the talks – the highest daily total since March 2009. There were no injuries.

Israeli warplanes responded by bombing a smuggling tunnel along the Gaza-Egypt border, the military said. Hamas officials said one person was killed and four wounded.