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| Israel Moves to Wrap Up Gaza Military Operation | Israel Moves to Wrap Up Gaza Military Operation |
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| JERUSALEM — Claiming it had achieved most of its objectives and pressured by Western allies to stop causing civilian casualties in Gaza, Israel moved to wind down its operations there on Monday — either unilaterally or through a new Egyptian-brokered cease-fire announced late in the day. | |
| The Egyptian proposal, which in principle was to start at 8 a.m. local time on Tuesday, was created “out of concern for innocent lives and to prevent further bloodshed,” and would initially last for 72 hours, an Egypt Foreign Ministry statement said. Both Israel and Hamas indicated they would respect the cease-fire, which would be followed by talks on a more lasting arrangement. | The Egyptian proposal, which in principle was to start at 8 a.m. local time on Tuesday, was created “out of concern for innocent lives and to prevent further bloodshed,” and would initially last for 72 hours, an Egypt Foreign Ministry statement said. Both Israel and Hamas indicated they would respect the cease-fire, which would be followed by talks on a more lasting arrangement. |
| But given the history of broken cease-fires in the conflict, it was unclear that both sides would honor Egypt’s proposal, which was similar to one previously rejected by Hamas. | But given the history of broken cease-fires in the conflict, it was unclear that both sides would honor Egypt’s proposal, which was similar to one previously rejected by Hamas. |
| Earlier in the day, Israel appeared to be positioning itself to conclude its military operation in Gaza, with or without a formal cease-fire agreement. | Earlier in the day, Israel appeared to be positioning itself to conclude its military operation in Gaza, with or without a formal cease-fire agreement. |
| With Israeli troops essentially finished destroying Hamas’s tunnels into Israel and having dealt Hamas’s military capacity a significant blow, senior Israeli officials said they were moving troops to defensive positions on both sides of the border. The army — and especially the air force — will respond to attacks and rocket fire by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but the hope, Israeli officials say, is that Gaza fighters will not match rhetoric with action, and that the conflict will slowly wind down and stop. | With Israeli troops essentially finished destroying Hamas’s tunnels into Israel and having dealt Hamas’s military capacity a significant blow, senior Israeli officials said they were moving troops to defensive positions on both sides of the border. The army — and especially the air force — will respond to attacks and rocket fire by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but the hope, Israeli officials say, is that Gaza fighters will not match rhetoric with action, and that the conflict will slowly wind down and stop. |
| The latest Israeli actions in the nearly month-old Gaza conflict, which Israel calls Operation Protective Edge, are unilateral. After the quick breakdown of last Friday’s cease-fire, negotiated with Hamas through Qatar, the Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they no longer believed that Hamas would implement agreements. Nor did they want to “reward” Hamas, they said, for its rocket and tunnel war. | The latest Israeli actions in the nearly month-old Gaza conflict, which Israel calls Operation Protective Edge, are unilateral. After the quick breakdown of last Friday’s cease-fire, negotiated with Hamas through Qatar, the Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they no longer believed that Hamas would implement agreements. Nor did they want to “reward” Hamas, they said, for its rocket and tunnel war. |
| But Israeli officials also said they were willing to see what the Egyptian government could achieve with Palestinian negotiators in Cairo. Israel was not opposed to a new arrangement with Hamas and the Palestinians, nor did it remove the possibility of renewing the negotiated cease-fire agreement that ended the brief, last conflict in Gaza, in November 2012. That agreement called for opening the crossings in Gaza, easing the movement of people and transfer of goods and extending fishing limits. | But Israeli officials also said they were willing to see what the Egyptian government could achieve with Palestinian negotiators in Cairo. Israel was not opposed to a new arrangement with Hamas and the Palestinians, nor did it remove the possibility of renewing the negotiated cease-fire agreement that ended the brief, last conflict in Gaza, in November 2012. That agreement called for opening the crossings in Gaza, easing the movement of people and transfer of goods and extending fishing limits. |
| And Israeli officials said they were conscious of the need for the reconstruction of Gaza, which will require significant imports of building materials, but wanted it supervised by Egypt through Rafah, at the Gaza-Egypt border, or by Israel through its main crossing at Kerem Shalom. | And Israeli officials said they were conscious of the need for the reconstruction of Gaza, which will require significant imports of building materials, but wanted it supervised by Egypt through Rafah, at the Gaza-Egypt border, or by Israel through its main crossing at Kerem Shalom. |
| Israel is in no hurry, the officials said, and for now the model they are adhering to is the unilateral cease-fire Israel announced at the end of the last major Gazan conflict, which lasted three weeks into January 2009. Then, Hamas slowly stopped rocket fire, a period of relative quiet that lasted nearly four years. | Israel is in no hurry, the officials said, and for now the model they are adhering to is the unilateral cease-fire Israel announced at the end of the last major Gazan conflict, which lasted three weeks into January 2009. Then, Hamas slowly stopped rocket fire, a period of relative quiet that lasted nearly four years. |
| But Israel is concerned about the possible spread of violence carried out by Palestinians enraged over the Gaza conflict. In an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Jerusalem on Monday, a Palestinian drove a heavy construction vehicle over a pedestrian, killing him, and overturned a nearly empty bus, injuring three people, before the police shot the driver to death. | But Israel is concerned about the possible spread of violence carried out by Palestinians enraged over the Gaza conflict. In an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Jerusalem on Monday, a Palestinian drove a heavy construction vehicle over a pedestrian, killing him, and overturned a nearly empty bus, injuring three people, before the police shot the driver to death. |
| Later, a gunman shot and wounded a soldier waiting at a bus stop near Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, escaping by motorcycle, in what the police said was a suspected terrorist attack. | Later, a gunman shot and wounded a soldier waiting at a bus stop near Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, escaping by motorcycle, in what the police said was a suspected terrorist attack. |
| There were no immediate claims of responsibility. But Hamas said in a statement, “We praise the heroic and brave operations in Jerusalem, which come as a natural reaction to the crimes and massacres by the Occupation against our people in Gaza.” | There were no immediate claims of responsibility. But Hamas said in a statement, “We praise the heroic and brave operations in Jerusalem, which come as a natural reaction to the crimes and massacres by the Occupation against our people in Gaza.” |
| On Monday, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, met with the southern command of the Israel Defense Forces, which is leading the war in Gaza, and said that the campaign there was continuing. | On Monday, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, met with the southern command of the Israel Defense Forces, which is leading the war in Gaza, and said that the campaign there was continuing. |
| “What is about to conclude is the I.D.F. action to deal with the tunnels, but this operation will end only when quiet and security are restored to the citizens of Israel for a lengthy period,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “We struck a very severe blow at Hamas and the other terrorist organizations. We have no intention of attacking the residents of Gaza.” | “What is about to conclude is the I.D.F. action to deal with the tunnels, but this operation will end only when quiet and security are restored to the citizens of Israel for a lengthy period,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “We struck a very severe blow at Hamas and the other terrorist organizations. We have no intention of attacking the residents of Gaza.” |
| Tzipi Livni, an important member, along with Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, of Mr. Netanyahu’s kitchen cabinet, has made clear that Israel will take unilateral actions to defend its interests and no longer wants to negotiate a cease-fire with Hamas, but would be happy for Egypt and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority to try. She told Ynet, the Israeli news agency, that any agreement with Hamas was not expected now. “You want to talk about lifting the siege?” she asked. “Not with us, and not now.” | Tzipi Livni, an important member, along with Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, of Mr. Netanyahu’s kitchen cabinet, has made clear that Israel will take unilateral actions to defend its interests and no longer wants to negotiate a cease-fire with Hamas, but would be happy for Egypt and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority to try. She told Ynet, the Israeli news agency, that any agreement with Hamas was not expected now. “You want to talk about lifting the siege?” she asked. “Not with us, and not now.” |
| Ms. Livni has been pushing for a unilateral cease-fire to be followed by multilateral diplomacy, with Israel seeking support for the reconstruction of Gaza in return for a gradual demilitarization through stricter controls over smuggling. She is said to favor an Egyptian effort to give Mr. Abbas and the Palestinian Authority control over the Rafah crossing on the Gaza side. | Ms. Livni has been pushing for a unilateral cease-fire to be followed by multilateral diplomacy, with Israel seeking support for the reconstruction of Gaza in return for a gradual demilitarization through stricter controls over smuggling. She is said to favor an Egyptian effort to give Mr. Abbas and the Palestinian Authority control over the Rafah crossing on the Gaza side. |
| Few believe that Hamas will voluntarily disarm or stop trying to resist Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. But Hamas’s effectiveness may be much weaker. | Few believe that Hamas will voluntarily disarm or stop trying to resist Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands. But Hamas’s effectiveness may be much weaker. |
| For Israel, the strategic situation has changed with the takeover in Egypt by the former military general, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who a year ago overthrew President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is an ally of Hamas. Mr. Morsi did little to prevent smuggling through tunnels, which gave Hamas tax receipts and a mechanism to import cement, weapons and military advisers, Israeli officials insist, from Iran and Hezbollah. | For Israel, the strategic situation has changed with the takeover in Egypt by the former military general, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who a year ago overthrew President Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is an ally of Hamas. Mr. Morsi did little to prevent smuggling through tunnels, which gave Hamas tax receipts and a mechanism to import cement, weapons and military advisers, Israeli officials insist, from Iran and Hezbollah. |
| “The big difference this time is that you have an Egyptian leader who understands that Hamas is not just a problem for Israel, but for Egypt, too,” one senior Israeli official said. “So the ability of Hamas to bring stuff in is much, much more limited. And because the Gaza tunnels are mostly shut down, the Egyptians have leverage with reopening Rafah. So it is possible to deal far more effectively with illicit transfers, which could make an end game more stable.” | “The big difference this time is that you have an Egyptian leader who understands that Hamas is not just a problem for Israel, but for Egypt, too,” one senior Israeli official said. “So the ability of Hamas to bring stuff in is much, much more limited. And because the Gaza tunnels are mostly shut down, the Egyptians have leverage with reopening Rafah. So it is possible to deal far more effectively with illicit transfers, which could make an end game more stable.” |
| Mr. Sisi’s antipathy toward Hamas is even stronger than that of Hosni Mubarak, the former president who saw the group as Israel’s problem and only intermittently suppressed the smuggling. | Mr. Sisi’s antipathy toward Hamas is even stronger than that of Hosni Mubarak, the former president who saw the group as Israel’s problem and only intermittently suppressed the smuggling. |
| In Cairo, Palestinian factions were negotiating a joint position on a cease-fire, demanding that Israel withdraw all troops from Gaza, loosen controls over the movement of goods and people, open border crossings and release prisoners. | In Cairo, Palestinian factions were negotiating a joint position on a cease-fire, demanding that Israel withdraw all troops from Gaza, loosen controls over the movement of goods and people, open border crossings and release prisoners. |
| Hamas wants such results to point to from this war. But for the moment, at least, Israel has decided not to negotiate. A senior American diplomat who came to Cairo for the talks has now left. | Hamas wants such results to point to from this war. But for the moment, at least, Israel has decided not to negotiate. A senior American diplomat who came to Cairo for the talks has now left. |
| Israel’s desired outcome could unravel if Hamas continues to attack Israel — at least 53 rockets were fired on Monday, while Israel had decreed a seven-hour unilateral and partial cease-fire. And Palestinians accused Israel of violating its own cease-fire when the air force struck a house in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, killing a girl, 8, and wounding at least 29. | Israel’s desired outcome could unravel if Hamas continues to attack Israel — at least 53 rockets were fired on Monday, while Israel had decreed a seven-hour unilateral and partial cease-fire. And Palestinians accused Israel of violating its own cease-fire when the air force struck a house in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, killing a girl, 8, and wounding at least 29. |
| Palestinians said the attack came minutes after the cease-fire, while one Israeli official, Yoav Poli Mordechai from Cogat, the army agency that controls coordination with Gaza, told Israel Radio that the attack was several minutes before. The Israeli military, for its part, said the strike, aimed at “a senior Hamas operative,” was at “approximately 10 a.m.,” when the cease-fire began. | Palestinians said the attack came minutes after the cease-fire, while one Israeli official, Yoav Poli Mordechai from Cogat, the army agency that controls coordination with Gaza, told Israel Radio that the attack was several minutes before. The Israeli military, for its part, said the strike, aimed at “a senior Hamas operative,” was at “approximately 10 a.m.,” when the cease-fire began. |
| Earlier Monday, Israel bombed the house of an Islamic Jihad commander in northern Gaza, Danyal Manzour, killing him. | Earlier Monday, Israel bombed the house of an Islamic Jihad commander in northern Gaza, Danyal Manzour, killing him. |
| After sharp criticism from the United States and the United Nations of Israel’s strike on three Islamic Jihad fighters on a motorcycle outside a United Nations school on Sunday, which killed seven other people nearby, Israel had announced Monday’s cease-fire to last from 10 a.m. local time until 5 p.m. | After sharp criticism from the United States and the United Nations of Israel’s strike on three Islamic Jihad fighters on a motorcycle outside a United Nations school on Sunday, which killed seven other people nearby, Israel had announced Monday’s cease-fire to last from 10 a.m. local time until 5 p.m. |
| But the cease-fire was only to take place in areas where Israel was not engaged in military activity, which the army specified to be near Rafah, in southern Gaza, far from Gaza City itself. Israeli army officials said that east Rafah was the only urban area where troops and tanks were fighting. | But the cease-fire was only to take place in areas where Israel was not engaged in military activity, which the army specified to be near Rafah, in southern Gaza, far from Gaza City itself. Israeli army officials said that east Rafah was the only urban area where troops and tanks were fighting. |
| A Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, said Hamas would not observe the day’s truce, which he disparaged as a media exercise that Israel had announced “to divert attention from Israeli massacres.” | A Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, said Hamas would not observe the day’s truce, which he disparaged as a media exercise that Israel had announced “to divert attention from Israeli massacres.” |