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| Israeli PM rules out Hamas truce | Israeli PM rules out Hamas truce |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Israel will not agree to a truce in Gaza unless an Israeli soldier held by Palestinian militants is freed, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said. | Israel will not agree to a truce in Gaza unless an Israeli soldier held by Palestinian militants is freed, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said. |
| The Israeli soldier was captured by Palestinian militants in 2006. | The Israeli soldier was captured by Palestinian militants in 2006. |
| There have been reports that Egypt was close to brokering a long-term truce between Hamas and Israel. | There have been reports that Egypt was close to brokering a long-term truce between Hamas and Israel. |
| A punishing three-week Israeli assault on Gaza aimed at stopping militant rocket on Israel fire ended with separate ceasefires in January. | A punishing three-week Israeli assault on Gaza aimed at stopping militant rocket on Israel fire ended with separate ceasefires in January. |
| The uneasy calm has been punctuated by exchanges of fire between the two sides. | The uneasy calm has been punctuated by exchanges of fire between the two sides. |
| "The position of the prime minister is that Israel won't reach any arrangement on a truce before the release of Gilad Shalit," Mr Olmert's office said in a statement. | "The position of the prime minister is that Israel won't reach any arrangement on a truce before the release of Gilad Shalit," Mr Olmert's office said in a statement. |
| On Thursday, Hamas officials said they expected a truce with Israel to be announced in days. | |
| Any truce is expected to see Israel gradually open the borders to Gaza, ending the blockade it has enforced since Hamas seized control of the territory in mid-2007. | |
| In return, Israel wants to seen an end to weapons smuggling and attacks from Gaza. |