Eveniment

Officials, diplomats say Israel taking seriously international proposal for ceasefire that would involve sending a special force, including military engineers, to Gaza-Egypt border to prevent Hamas from rearming

Reuters Published: 01.06.09, 19:28 / Israel News

Israel is taking seriously an international proposal for a Gaza ceasefire that would involve a pledge of foreign forces to prevent Hamas from rearming, Israeli officials and diplomats said on Tuesday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said a deal to end Israel's offensive in Gaza was "not far" away, but gave no details.

Ceasefire Efforts

Sarkozy urges Syria to put pressure on Hamas / AFP

'Assad must convince Hamas it should choose reason, peace and reconciliation and return to truce,' French leader says after meeting with Syrian president in Damascus

"I'm convinced that there are solutions. We are not far from that. What is needed is simply for one of the players to start for things to go in the right direction," he told reporters during a visit to French UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon.

Middle East envoy Tony Blair said major powers agreed on the need for security measures on Gaza's border with Egypt - which Israel calls the Philadelphi Route - to stop the arms flow.

"What is being talked about is a credible plan to stop the smuggling," Blair told a small group of reporters in Jerusalem.

Israel has ruled out halting its 11-day-old offensive against Hamas without international guarantees that smuggling tunnels will be found, destroyed and not rebuilt.