Israel's cabinet has voted to declare a ceasefire and halt IDF operations against Hamas in Gaza. The ceasefire went into effect at 2 am.
The cabinet decided to accept an Egyptian proposal for a unilateral ceasefire. The IDF will remain in Gaza for now.
Six rockets landed in Israel Sunday morning since the cease fire was announced. Also, IDF soldiers were fired at, and returned fire in Gaza.
In a Saturday evening press conference, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that the goals of the operation were "fully achieved, and more so". Listing the achievements of Operation Cast Lead, Olmert said, "Hamas was badly stricken, both in terms of its military capabilities and in the infrastructure of its regime. Its leaders are in hiding. Many of its members have been killed. The factories in which its missiles were manufactured have been destroyed. The smuggling routes, through dozens of tunnels, have been bombed. The Hamas’s capabilities for conveying weapons within the Gaza Strip have been damaged. The scope of missile fire directed at the State of Israel has been reduced. The areas from which most of the missiles were launched are under the control of IDF forces. The estimate of all the security services is that the Hamas’s capabilities have been struck a heavy blow which will harm its ability to rule and its military capabilities for some time."
Olmert said that he received a letter of assurance from UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in which they committed to taking steps to prevent Hamas receiving more weapons. The US and other countries will work to prevent smuggling of weapons into Gaza.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 18, 2009
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2009