GAZA CITY, 17 June 2006 — A Palestinian was killed in an Israeli missile attack on a car in Gaza late yesterday. An Israeli Army spokeswoman said the strike targeted Islamic Jihad activists in the vehicle.
Three other people in the vehicle were injured. “Two of the wounded have serious burns and their condition is very serious,” said a medical source.
Earlier, Hamas leaders distanced themselves from a cease-fire offer that the Hamas government made to Israel, while other armed groups also spurned the proposal.
Differences over the truce offer, which was conditional on Israel stopping raids and airstrikes in Gaza and the West Bank, could point to disagreement between the Hamas grass roots and the government over tactics.
Hamas’ armed wing scrapped a 16-month truce with Israel a week ago and soon after launched a barrage of makeshift rockets at the Jewish state from the Gaza Strip. But a government spokesman made a new cease-fire offer on Thursday.
“We are not interested in making any offers or proposals,” said Sami Abu Zuhri, official spokesman for Hamas. “When the occupation stops its killings and crimes against our people then the factions may look into the issue in accordance with the interests of our people,” he said.
Abu Zuhri said the cease-fire offer announced by Cabinet spokesman Ghazi Hamad in an interview with Israel Radio represented the government, and not the group itself. Israeli officials have not commented on the cease-fire offer.
In Brussels, European Union leaders yesterday endorsed a plan to channel aid to cash-starved Palestinians focusing on health, power supply and support for needy families while maintaining a funding freeze on the Hamas-led government. The plan provoked angry criticism from the group.
“This is regrettable,” said Hamas Information Minister Youssef Rizka, who said the Europeans had bowed to American pressure to follow a “hostile policy” that aimed to divide Palestinians.
EU spokeswoman Emma Udwin said the EU was considering an initial allocation of about 100 million euros ($126 million).
— Additional input from agencies
