Israel ceasefire vote

Two boys have been killed during dozens of airstrikes as Israel mulls plans to halt its Gaza offensive without any agreement with Hamas. The two youngsters died while sheltering at a United Nations school which was hit by tank fire. The incident could be a war crime, officials have said. John Ging, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, said: "These two little boys are as innocent, indisputably, as they are dead." More than 1,150 Palestinians have been killed and 5,100 wounded since Israel began attacking Gaza on December 27 with an air blitz, and then moved in with ground forces a week later. A large majority of the dead are civilians. Ten Israeli soldiers have died in the fighting and three Israeli civilians have been killed by rockets fired from Gaza. Israel's security cabinet is due to meet later and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will then address the nation. An unnamed Israeli official said: "The goal is to announce, subject to cabinet approval, a suspension of military activities because we believe our goals have been attained. "There is no agreement with Hamas, and it is clear that if Hamas fires against Israeli soldiers or if rocket fire into Israel continues, Israel will reserve the right to act." Another official said he expected the cabinet to declare a unilateral ceasefire and reach an agreement with Egypt on increased security along the Gaza-Egyptian border. Under that agreement, he said, the Rafah border crossing would open in line with a 2005 agreement with the Palestinian Authority, which calls for President Mahmoud Abbas's forces to be in control and for Europeans to monitor traffic. Gaza's border crossings with Israel are likely to be open initially only for humanitarian supplies, with a more permanent solution linked to progress over negotiations on Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held in Gaza by Hamas, the official said. Earlier, a Hamas official in Beirut said the militants will fight on until Israel meets their demands, mainly for an end to a crippling Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Some say Israel's plans for a ceasefire is a bid to avoid casting a cloud on Barack Obama's historic inauguration. Israeli public support for the offensive has been almost total, but international calls for an end to the bloodshed are mounting. An overwhelming majority of states at the UN General Assembly called on Friday for an immediate, durable ceasefire.

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ITN | January 17, 2009

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