Israel bombs Gaza as ceasefire approaches Israeli jets carried out bombing raids over Gaza early on Saturday morning as the country prepared for the end of its offensive against the Islamic terrorist group Hamas. Officials said the Israeli security cabinet would hold a rare meeting at the end of the Sabbath to make a unilateral decision to cease fire. A truce without a deal that included Hamas would rely on the assistance of the United States and Egypt in suppressing arms smuggling into Gaza. The announcement left confusion over an Egyptian ceasefire plan negotiated separately with Hamas and Israel which would wind up Operation Cast Lead. Hamas officials were preparing to announce their position on the deal within hours. Reports said that a UN school in northern Gaza was shelled early on Saturday, killing six. "The incident yet again illustrates the tragedy that there is no safe place in Gaza. Not even a UN installation is safe," Christopher Gunness, a UN spokesman said. "There is no place to flee." Elsewhere in the territory, a two-year-old baby and three other people were killed as Israel conducted 50 raids on tunnels, rocket launchers and suspected weapons stores including two mosques, medics and the army said. Israel was expected to approve the Egyptian proposal, under which fighting would stop immediately for 10 days. Israeli forces would remain in fixed positions and the border crossings into the territory would remain closed until security arrangements were made to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons into the territory. Under the deal, Egypt would shut down weapons smuggling routes with international help. Discussions on opening blockaded border crossings - Hamas' key demand - would take place at a later date.
Israel launched its military offensive on Dec 27 to try to halt near daily Hamas rocket attacks against southern Israel. Palestinian doctors say the fighting has killed at least 1,140 Palestinians - roughly half of them civilians - and Israel's bombing campaign caused massive destruction in Gaza. Thirteen Israelis have been killed, four by rocket fire and nine in ground battles in Gaza. Israel Radio reported that a truce summit could be held in Cairo as early as Sunday with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Israeli leaders in attendance.