Israeli forces will not attack the Gaza Strip if Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups halt their cross-border rocket salvoes, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Wednesday. Speaking after his security cabinet authorised a campaign to stop rocket attacks from Gaza and undermine the territory’s Islamist Hamas rulers, Olmert signalled a willingness by Israel to hold its fire. “One thing should be clear. If there is no rocket fire on Israel, there will be no Israeli attack on Gaza. We do not rise in the morning and think about how to attack Gaza,†Olmert told reporters. “The Israeli army operations against Gaza Strip will continue as long as the rocket fire continues,†a senior official quoted the premier as telling a meeting of the security cabinet on the situation in Gaza.
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