Gaza Truce in Tatters, Obama Blames Hamas
Israeli forces spread across southern Gaza
in search of a missing infantry officer who was presumed captured by
militants Friday, as President
Barack Obama
blamed Hamas for the quick breakdown of a U.S.-brokered cease-fire.
The
officer's fate added a volatile element to Israel's conflict with
Hamas, with the potential to draw the military deeper into a densely
populated Palestinian enclave largely devastated by 25 days of combat.
If confirmed, his capture could give Hamas, the Islamist group that
governs Gaza, powerful new leverage in its effort to end the fighting on
its terms.
The officer, 2nd Lt.
Hadar Goldin,
disappeared in a fierce battle for control of an underground
tunnel shaft that left two Israeli soldiers dead near Rafah, the
military said. Israel responded with air and artillery strikes that
leveled homes and killed at least 35 people in and around the city of
Rafah, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The
fighting shattered a cease-fire, brokered by the U.S. and United
Nations, that was barely 90 minutes old. Speaking at the White House,
Mr. Obama expressed pessimism that an agreement to end the violence
could be reached soon, and called on Hamas to release the soldier
unconditionally and as soon as possible, although neither Israel nor
Hamas have confirmed his capture.
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