Hamas vows to wreck ceasefire in Gaza

ISRAEL'S leadership met last night to approve a unilateral ceasefire that would halt the devastating 22-day offensive in Gaza, but Hamas vowed to keep fighting until all Israeli forces pull out.

The 12-member security cabinet backed an Egyptian-brokered proposal for a ceasefire from midnight during which Israeli troops would remain on the ground while longer term arrangements are hammered out with international backing.

In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israeli objectives had been achieved by the three-week campaign and Hamas had been "badly beaten". As a result, the cabinet had agreed on a ceasefire proposal put forward by Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.

But in a show of defiance, a Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, said: "A unilateral ceasefire does not mean ending the (Israeli] aggression and ending the siege. These constitute acts of war and so this will not mean an end to resistance… We will not accept any one Zionist soldier on our land, regardless of the price that it costs."

Even as the Israeli leaders met, the military kept up its bombardment of dozens of Hamas targets in Gaza. Last night, Britain, the US and the UN all welcomed the end of the fighting as "huge relief" and pledged to help Egypt stop arms smuggling into Gaza to help preserve peace. World leaders will meet in Egypt today to discuss how to bring about a more permanent solution.