Palestinian militants in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip firedrockets and mortars into southern Israel on Monday, despite an unofficial trucemeant to defuse days of escalating violence.
The Israeli military said 15 projectiles were launched atIsrael overnight, most of which fell in open fields, and no injuries werereported. Israel retaliated with an airstrike before midnight Sunday thattargeted a rocket-launching device.
A Hamas official said Sunday that militant groups in Gazahad agreed a truce would go into effect that evening to end three days ofclashes between Israel and Gaza gunmen. Hamas security personnel would enforcethe Egypt-brokered agreement, he said, but the continued fire from Gazaundercut his assertion that the cease-fire had the backing of all of Gaza'sarmed factions.
Palestinian rocket fire and Israeli airstrikes continuedhours after the cease-fire was to take effect at 9 p.m. local time.
The new round of violence began with a deadly attack onIsraelis near the Egypt-Israel border on Thursday. That touched off a deadlyround of Israeli airstrikes and rocket fire from Gaza.
About 15 Palestinians, most of them gunmen, were killed inthe air attacks. Eight Israelis died in the border attack and another waskilled by rocket fire.
The sudden flare-up also caused new friction in relationsbetween Israel and Egypt, after Egypt accused Israel of killing five of itssecurity forces while pursuing militants responsible for the frontier ambush onThursday.
Earlier on Sunday, a salvo of rockets from Gaza struck anempty school and sent thousands of Israelis into bomb shelters. Israelresponded with airstrikes, and diplomats scrambled to limit the violence.
Under pressure from popular anti-Israel sentiment, theEgyptian government at one point threatened to recall its ambassador to Israel.Israel apologized and Egypt recanted.
The diplomatic efforts were also aimed at limiting thedamage from the deaths of the Egyptian policemen. On Sunday morning, an Israelienvoy arrived at Cairo's international airport and was whisked off in a convoyof four waiting cars, airport officials said. Israel's government would notcomment on the envoy's identity or the details of his mission. A secondunidentified envoy arrived later on Sunday, the Egyptian officials said. Franceand Germany were also working with the Israelis and Egyptians to end thediplomatic spat, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity inorder to discuss ongoing diplomatic efforts.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman alsoarrived to help mediate, according to an official at the American Embassy in Cairo,speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak toreporters.
Alongside the diplomacy, Israel threatened to intensify itsattacks if the rocket barrages continue.
Speaking to Israel Radio, military spokesman Brig. Gen. YoavMordechai said Israel "will not hesitate" to widen its militaryoperation if necessary. Diplomats scrambled to try to prevent the violence -the deadliest since Israel went to war against Gaza militants 2 1/2 years ago -from spiraling out of control.
Large-scale Israeli military operations in Gaza would createnew friction with the Muslim world at a time when Palestinian President MahmoudAbbas is preparing to ask the United Nations to recognize an independentPalestinian state. Pictures of a major Israeli offensive in Gaza could hurt theJewish state's efforts to minimize world support for the Palestinian statehoodbid.
A spokesman said Abbas' Palestinian Authority planned to usethe renewed violence to bolster its case for statehood at the United Nationsnext month.
"An independent Palestinian state is the remedy forviolence," Husam Zomlot said. "It would control its borders andprevent such deterioration from happening."
Abbas, who wields limited power in the West Bank underIsrael's overall security control, asserts no such control at this time. Hamasrouted his loyalists from Gaza in a violent 2007 takeover, and a reconciliationpact the two sides signed in May has stalled.
Hamas, backed by Iran, opposes both peacemaking with Israeland Abbas' statehood bid.
Under Hamas rule, Gaza's militants have increased thequality and range of their rocket arsenals and now target the largest city inIsrael's south - Beersheba, 25 miles away from Gaza. Most of the rocketslaunched since Thursday have been military-grade Katyushas smuggled in throughtunnels from Egypt.
Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005.
Since Thursday's ambush, militants have fired some 100rockets and mortars into Israel. On Saturday, rockets killed an Israeli man inBeersheba and seriously wounded two others.
