Israel hints at Gaza offensive

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak indicated Israel might try to overthrow the Hamas regime in Gaza while Hamas leaders went into hiding after Israel threatened to hunt them down in the battle over daily rocket salvos from Gaza.

Israel troops, backed by helicopters and armoured vehicles, clashed with Hamas fighters in Gaza City today in the course of a raid on rocket-launching operations.

Hamas claimed it fired dozens of mortar rounds and seven rockets on troops that moved into the area, but the military said only one round was fired at troops.

No serious casualties were reported by either side.

The ongoing violence has cast a long shadow over troubled efforts to get peacemaking moving again.

In Washington yesterday, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, leader of the moderate government in the West Bank, said US-backed peace talks were not “proceeding in line with expectations”.

Mr Barak’s remarks at a closed parliamentary committee session yesterday were the first by an Israeli leader about removing Hamas from power in Gaza, though Israel has said repeatedly it cannot negotiate a peace deal with the Palestinians as long as the Islamists are in control there.

Mr Barak also ordered plans for a large ground invasion of Gaza.

But he said troops would not move soon, all but admitting that Israel has no quick answer for the rocket barrages – leaving his threats as mostly verbal pressure on Hamas.

Mr Barak told parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that Israel’s long-term plan was to weaken Hamas and “under certain circumstances even take down Hamas,” a meeting participant said.

“I don’t see the Palestinians giving Gaza back to Fatah,” the party of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. “Outside developments might bring this about,” the participant quoted Barak as saying.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr Barak said he ordered the military to prepare for a broad operation in Gaza, but emphasised the offensive would not take place immediately.

In the meantime, he said, the army “will operate in every way” to halt the rocket fire on southern Israel.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, told a Hamas website that Israel would not succeed in bringing down Hamas.

“These comments ... confirm that the aim of the current aggression on Gaza isn’t about security, it is political, and it aims to try destroy Hamas. But it’s a failed war, and it will fail,” he said.