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Sporadic violence flares on Gaza-Israel border

Sporadic violence is flaring along the Gaza-Israel border as a shaky truce reaches its expiry date.

The Israeli military said Gaza militants fired two rockets into Israel yesterday morning, following heavy rocket fire in recent days. The military also said troops guarding Israeli farmers in fields along the border came under sniper fire from inside Gaza.

There were no injuries reported.

A six-month truce between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers expired yesterday. The ceasefire has been marred by ongoing violence since early last month.

Hamas officials in Gaza and Beirut said on Thursday the Islamic militant group would not extend a six-month truce with Israel, as the two sides attacked each other.

Hamas contends the ceasefire ended yesterday, but Israel maintains that the unwritten truce accord did not have an expiration date.

On Thursday, Gaza militants fired 11 rockets and six mortar shells toward Israel. Israel’s military launched at least two air strikes against rocket squads.

Speaking in Tel Aviv on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denounced the Hamas regime in Gaza, but did not relate directly to the escalating violence. Instead, he called for continued efforts toward a peace agreement with the Palestinians and Syria.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said “there is no chance of extending the calm,” blaming Israel for the breakdown. In Beirut, Hamas official Osama Hamdan said that the truce would end yesterday.

It was not clear if this was Hamas’ final word. The group, which rules Gaza, has been issuing contradictory statements about the truce this week.

Despite the renewed violence, there was a chance that the lull could be restored.

Both sides appeared to be jockeying for position, trying to improve the terms of the truce. On the other hand, a single attack by either side that takes significant casualties could spark a larger conflict.

The truce started coming apart last month, when Israeli forces entered Gaza to destroy a tunnel the military said militants were trying to dig under the border. Gaza rocket squads responded by resuming daily barrages on Israel’s south.

Though violence and casualties dropped significantly during the truce, neither side was satisfied. Hamas complained that Israel never fully opened its border crossings to let vital cargo in and exports out, while Israel charged that Hamas used the time to replenish its arsenal with arms smuggled in through dozens of tunnels under the Egyptian border.

Speaking at a conference of the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, Olmert called for serious negotiations toward a peace treaty with the Palestinians, though that would require “painful concessions.”

Olmert, who leaves office next year, also urged continuation of contacts with Syria.

“A peace treaty with Syria can be achieved,” he said.
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