Israel Offers Ceasefire In Gaza

BBC News reports:

Israel says it is willing to observe a ceasefire after days of military exchanges in Gaza, if Palestinian militants there end rocket attacks.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Sunday: "If they stop firing on our communities, we will stop firing."

A spokesman for Hamas, which runs Gaza, said militants were not interested in escalation and calm could be restored.

At least 18 people have died in Israeli air strikes, which it says have been in response to militant rocket fire.

Mr Barak made the ceasefire offer on Israeli public radio, saying: "If they stop firing in general, it will be quiet, it will be good."

But he added: "We cannot tolerate firing... We will act along the lines of what happens on the ground."

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told the Reuters news agency: "If the Israeli aggression stopped, it would be natural for calm to be restored."

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