Israel vowed yesterday that it would not be restrained in the hunt for Palestinian militants in spite of a US call to move cautiously and renew contacts with the Palestinian leadership.
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom signaled that a Gaza air strike which killed eight Palestinians on Thursday would not be Israel's last reprisal for a suicide bombing that killed five Israelis in the coastal city of Hadera earlier this week.
The US strongly urged the Palestinians to rein in militants after Wednesday's bombing but also appealed to Israel for caution and encouraged a resumption of talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that have been put on hold.
"The message cannot be one of silence and restraint after such a terrible attack," Shalom told Israel Radio when asked about the US entreaty. "The terror organizations must know that we will continue to hunt them everywhere, all the time."
Washington appears increasingly concerned about the latest blows to an eight-month-old ceasefire, which have eroded international hopes that the Gaza withdrawal, after 38 years of Israeli occupation, will rekindle peacemaking.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ordered a broad offensive against Islamic Jihad, which said it carried out the Hadera bombing to avenge Israel's killing of a top West Bank commander on Monday.
Late on Thursday, a missile blew apart a car carrying Islamic Jihad commander Shadi Mhanna, who had overseen the group's cross-border rocket fire into Israel, and three comrades in a Gaza refugee camp. Four bystanders also died.
Islamic Jihad, dedicated to Israel's destruction, vowed revenge. Its initial response was the firing of a makeshift rocket into Israel, causing no damage or casualties.
Israel fired a volley of missiles overnight at Gaza border areas used for rocket launches, and launched three more air strikes yesterday. They hit open areas, causing no casualties.
Responding to Thursday's deadly air strike, the Palestinian Interior Ministry accused Israel of carrying out "terror acts that will not help in restoring security."
Sharon said on Thursday there could be no advance towards peace for now because of the "absolute failure of the Palestinian Authority in the fight against terrorism."
He ruled out talks with Abbas, who had earlier condemned Wednesday's bombing, until he took "serious action" against armed groups.
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