U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Washington supports the Egyptian-French initiative for cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. Speaking to reporters at the United Nations in New York, Rice said she has held talks with Israel about the plan, which was proposed by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Also Wednesday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Israel and the Palestinian Authority have accepted the Egyptian-French plan which, calls for a limited cease-fire to take effect immediately, to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Israel said it welcomes the plan, but that it will only accept a cease-fire that stops Hamas from firing rockets into Israel, and stops Palestinian militants from re-arming.Hamas says it is studying the Egyptian-French plan. The Israeli cabinet says it will push ahead with the offensive while at the same time pursuing the cease-fire option.