Israel ignores ceasefire offer

Israel failed to respond yesterday to a Hamas proposal to halt violence in Gaza. The Palestinian agriculture minister Ibrahim Naja said on Monday that armed factions were ready to stop their rocket fire if Israel ceased its attacks on resistance groups.

Hamas would also agree to a mutual truce and release an Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian fighters on June 25th.

His statement signalled Hamas's acceptance of an Egyptian proposal which contains Egyptian guarantees for the future release by Israel of ailing, female and minor Palestinian prisoners.

"This initiative was presented in an attempt to alleviate Palestinian suffering," Mr Naja said, "but now it depends on Israel, which has shown no indication of its willingness for a ceasefire."

Gaza area director for the UN Relief and Works Agency John Ging said the people of Beit Hannoun and Beit Lahiya, the focus of an Israeli offensive last week, were "very angry over the continuous shelling of residential areas". A number of families from exposed neighbourhoods had moved to Jabaliya camp on the edge of Gaza city, he added.

"Everybody living in Gaza has to survive without electricity for most of the time. We get between four and six hours a day on rotation basis, but the weak infrastructure cannot cope with scheduling distribution to hospitals, clinics and vital services and synchronising the provision of electricity to the supply of water, so that neighbourhoods receive both at the same time."

Two homes in Rafah and one in Khan Younis were demolished by Israeli air strikes after residents were warned to evacuate. Seven civilians were wounded.

Israel telephones families whose homes are to be targeted and warns them to leave ahead of strikes.

Half a dozen houses have been hit, either because they belong to activists or fighters, or because Israel claims weapons are being stored on the premises.