Israel Tightens Grip on Gaza Strip

Progress Reported in Gaza Truce Talks; Palestinian Toll Exceeds 1,000
Article | JERUSALEM, Jan. 14 -- Diplomats said Wednesday they were closer to bringing about a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, but fighting in the coastal territory persisted as the Palestinian death toll in the 19-day war passed 1,000.

Diplomatic Efforts Toward Gaza Truce Intensify
Article | JERUSALEM, Jan. 16 -- Israeli leaders said they would meet Saturday to consider approval of an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire that would bring to an end their three-week-old assault against Hamas, the armed Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip.

Red Cross Reports Grisly Find in Gaza
Article | JERUSALEM, Jan. 8 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday that it had found at least 15 bodies and several children -- emaciated but alive -- in a row of shattered houses in the Gaza Strip and accused the Israeli military of preventing ambulances from reaching the site for f...

As U.S. Abstains, U.N. Security Council Calls for Cease-Fire
Article | JERUSALEM, Jan. 8-- The U.N. Security Council on Thursday adopted a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, hours after the United Nations announced it would suspend humanitarian aid deliveries in the territory, citing Israeli attacks on its facilities and personnel.

Israel's Top Leaders Weighing Their Next Steps in Gaza
Article | JERUSALEM, Jan. 12 -- Israel's leaders debated Monday how and when to bring their 17-day-old offensive in Gaza to an end, as battles continued to rage on the edge of Gaza City and as Israeli reservists flowed into the territory, ready for a possible deeper push into urban areas.

The View From Israel: Victors in a Necessary War
Article | TEL AVIV, Jan. 10 -- After 15 days of war that have left more than 800 Palestinians dead -- as many as half of them civilians, medical officials say -- Israelis are sure of two things: They are the victims, and they are also the victors.

Wounded Israeli Troops Yearn to Be in the Fight
Article | BEERSHEBA, Israel, Jan. 5 -- Sgt. Natan Weitzman was creeping through the Gaza Strip on Saturday night with 17 members of his Israeli army platoon when a mortar shell landed in their midst.

Blair Says Mideast Cease-Fire Elements in Place
Article | JERUSALEM, Jan. 12 -- Israeli war planes and gunboats destroyed targets in the Gaza Strip Monday, including homes of Hamas leaders, as special Mideast envoy Tony Blair said after a meeting in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that "the elements of an agreement" for a cease-fire are in p...

France Wary of Strife Spreading From Gaza
Article | PARIS, Jan. 6 -- Alarmed by a firebomb attack on a synagogue, French leaders expressed concern Tuesday that strong feelings over the Israeli offensive in Gaza could lead to street violence and increased tensions between Muslims and Jews in France.

Gaza Strikes Reverberate in Egypt
Article | CAIRO, Jan. 9 -- Rarely has an Arab leader been so widely perceived as backing Israel and the United States against the Palestinians, whose struggle has been a fundamental rallying point for Arabs and Muslims for more than six decades.