US News

Bus blast then a ‘cease’ peace

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SHOCK WAVES: Security officials scurry at the scene of a terrorist bus bombing that wounded 28 yesterday in Israel’s largest city, Tel Aviv, just a few hours before an Egyptian-brokered and US-pushed cease-fire brought a tenuous peace to the Mideast. (
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Israel and Hamas agreed to end their bloody eight-day border war with a fragile truce agreement — hours after a terrorist bus bombing wounded 28 people in Tel Aviv.

The two sides exchanged rocket and missile attacks up until a minute before the start of a cease-fire brokered by Egypt and strongly backed by the US.

Palestinian gunmen in Gaza greeted the truce by firing into the air in jubilation — echoing the celebration earlier when word came of the bus bombing, the first major terrorist attack inside Israel in six years.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who raced to the region Tuesday, reacted to the bombing by saying the United States “stands ready to provide any assistance that Israel needs.”

The bombing near an Israeli military post — and fears that the bomber escaped with more explosives — appeared to doom the frantic push for a truce.

But after a two-hour-plus meeting between Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli officials said they were willing to begin a unilateral cease-fire, to see what Hamas would do.

Clinton then flew to Cairo, spent three hours with mediator Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and then announced that Hamas had agreed to a truce as well.

The agreement will “improve conditions for the people of Gaza and provide security for the people of Israel,” she said.

Under the truce terms, Israel and “all Palestinian factions” agreed to halt “all hostilities.”

After a 24-hour cooling-off period, it calls for “procedures” to open Gaza border crossings and facilitate “the movement of people and transfer of goods.”

But Israeli officials said this didn’t commit them to ending the blockade of Gaza that was imposed five years ago after Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip.

They added that while there is no signed truce agreement, Israel expects an international effort to halt arms smuggling into Gaza that preceded the months of rocket attacks that triggered the start of the war last week.

The extent of the smuggling was underlined earlier yesterday when Egyptian officials said they had intercepted truckloads from Libya carrying warheads for 108 Grad missiles that were headed for Gaza.

Also yesterday, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal thanked Iran for arming Gazans. He also claimed victory in the war, saying Israel had “failed in all its goals.”

“After eight days, God stayed their hand from the people of Gaza, and they were compelled to submit to the conditions of the resistance,” he said.

The Israeli Defense Force also declared victory, on Twitter: “After 8 days, the IDF has accomplished its goals in Operation Pillar of Defense. A cease-fire agreement has come into effect,” it tweeted.

Israeli officials said they had killed 30 Hamas and Islamic Jihad military commanders and crippled the terrorists’ ability to strike Israel.

Netanyahu said he agreed to the cease-fire after consulting with President Obama to allow Israeli civilians to get back to their lives. He also left the door open to a ground invasion of Gaza at a later date.

“I know there are citizens that expected a wider military operation, and it could be that it will be needed. But at this time, the right thing for the state of Israel is to take this opportunity to reach a lasting cease-fire,” he said.

Hamas said 161 Palestinians died in the hostilities. Israel said five of its citizens were killed and 240 were wounded.