Troop pullout may signal talks

JEBALIYA, Gaza Strip – Israeli aircraft pummeled targets in Gaza for the sixth straight day Monday and militants fired rockets at a major Israeli city. But the fighting showed signs of slowing, with the army pulling ground troops out of northern Gaza.\nThe departing soldiers left behind scenes of devastation in this northern Gaza town: roads plowed up, cars crushed by tanks and electric poles toppled. Hamas militants declared victory and some 20,000 supporters staged a large celebration in Gaza City.\nWhile remaining defiant in public, Hamas leaders signaled a readiness for a truce.\nBut Israeli officials said the troop pullback was only temporary and that the overall offensive was continuing.\n“We are acting and we will continue to act in a way that is painful and effective, that will bring maximum results in terms of halting terror,” Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told members of his Kadima party.\nAt the same time, he said Israel must press forward with peace talks with moderate Palestinians. The Palestinians suspended the talks on Sunday.\n“We want to carry on with negotiations because the alternative is Hamas rule in the West Bank as well,” he said. “Anyone who sees what is going on in Gaza can well imagine how much worse it would be for Israel if there were to be Hamas rule in the West Bank.”\nThe Gaza fighting has killed some 117 Palestinians since last Wednesday, according to Palestinian medical officials and militant groups. Three Israelis have also been killed.\nThe fighting has brought home the huge challenges facing the latest U.S.-sponsored peace push as long as Israel and Hamas are locked in a seemingly endless spiral of violence.\nSecretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to visit the region starting Tuesday to promote peace talks. But with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas suspending those talks to protest the Gaza bloodshed, it wasn’t clear what Rice would be able to accomplish.\nThe Palestinians have two rival governments: Abbas’ moderate administration in the West Bank and the Islamic militant Hamas regime in Gaza.\nHamas strongman Mahmoud Zahar told reporters his group has been in touch with an unidentified third party to discuss a cease-fire that would include the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and an end to an Israeli blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza.\nIsrael is seeking the release of a soldier captured by Hamas-linked militants in June 2006 as part of a deal. He stressed, however, that Hamas would continue to train and develop weapons even under a truce.\nIsraeli leaders have been reluctant to seek a cease-fire, claiming Hamas would use any lull to rearm. But recent opinion polls show roughly two-thirds of the Israeli public supports truce talks, and a growing number of Israeli leaders have said the government should consider the idea.\nIsrael’s education minister, Yuli Tamir, said the government should try to talk to Hamas to work out a cease fire.\n“Given the terrible situation, and given the fact that we don’t have a perfect option that can guarantee quiet in the south, we should try such a move,” she told Army Radio.