MIDDLE EAST: Defence minister Shaul Mofaz has ordered the Israeli army yesterday to use "all necessary means" to halt the firing of rockets and mortars by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
But despite yesterday's tough talk there were signs that both Israel and the Palestinians were keen to contain the latest violence and preserve a four-month truce.
Palestinian militants - mainly from Hamas - continued to fire dozens of mortars yesterday at Jewish settlements in the strip. They also fired three rockets at the town of Sderot, located inside Israel proper.
The latest round of violence was triggered on Wednesday by the death of a Hamas militant near the border between Gaza and Egypt. Israeli military officials said the man died when a bomb he was carrying exploded, but Palestinians insisted he had been shot by troops.
Mr Mofaz held consultations yesterday with senior defence officials, who made it clear Israel would target militants if they continued to launch their makeshift mortars and rockets. A Hamas militant injured on Wednesday died yesterday of his wounds.
The air strike was the first by Israel in months in the strip, where violence has receded dramatically since the two sides agreed to halt hostilities last February.
Deputy defence minister Ze'ev Boim said "Israel must respond with greater forcefulness" to ensure that "calm will truly prevail before the evacuation, because it is inconceivable that we will carry out an evacuation under fire". Mr Boim was referring to prime minister Ariel Sharon's plan to evacuate all settlements and Israeli troops from Gaza in August.
Mr Sharon's reaction to the mortar fire, though, might be tempered by his desire to maintain calm in the strip. He does not want a resurgence of violence to undermine his withdrawal plan.
Israeli officials said the renewal of mortar attacks was related to internal Palestinian politics, where the ruling Fatah party has been trying to have several results favourable to Hamas in recent municipal elections overturned. Hamas leader Mahmoud a-Zahar said the mortar fire was "linked to Israeli attacks", but his organisation was "still committed to calm".