Israel warned on Wednesday that the Jewish state was losing patience over Palestinian rocket attacks that have continued to violate a tentative four-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.The warnings come amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts to shore up the truce, with Egypt’s intelligence chief Omar Suleiman in Israel and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas Thursday. “The test period accorded by the prime minister to the Palestinians is nearing the end,” said Tzahi Hanegbi, a key ally of premier Ehud Olmert and chairman of parliament’s influential defence and foreign affairs committee. “The prime minister said the policy of restraint will only last a few days,” the MP added, speaking on public radio.
Militants in Gaza fired isolated rockets towards southern Israel on each of the first three days of the truce, violating an accord brokered after 400 Palestinians and three Israelis were killed in Gaza in five months.
A source in Olmert’s office similarly emphasized that “Israel’s patience has limits”, in comments to AFP on Wednesday. “The prime minister ordered the army not to respond although since the start of the ceasefire 12 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory,” added the official on condition of anonymity.