Press on Gaza deaths, Cairo talks

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Several other people were injured by the blast, some of them critically.

Israeli and Palestinian newspapers have expressed regret and in some cases anger at the death of a family in Gaza, which the Israeli military and Hamas are blaming on one another.

Some commentators speculated as to whether this would affect chances of a truce between Palestinian factions and Israel, which is on the agenda of Palestinian faction talks in Cairo.

URI ORBACH in ISRAEL'S YEDIOT AHARONOT

The death of the four members of the Abu Maateq family is very shocking... This is an operational failure, not a moral one... There is a need to feel sorry when we kill uninvolved civilians and innocent children. But we do not have to enter into the moralistic mood of the forces of world peace... He who regularly and intentionally fires at our civilians causes the death of his civilians every now and then by mistake. We are sorry, but do not apologise.

ANAT MEIDAN in ISRAEL'S YEDIOT AHARONOT

A family was wiped out in Beit Hanoun and in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) they retreat to the arsenal of cold, official words... "The mother and her children were killed because of an explosive charge carried by the armed men when they were shot from the air". Short, concise but not really to the point... Words create reality, words affect change. Expressions like "uninvolved", "armed men" and "necessary operational activity" close ears, turn the heart to stone, and dissipate sensitivity to human life. Change the kitbag at once.

AMOS HAREL in ISRAEL'S HA'ARETZ

Nonetheless, it is by no means certain that yesterday's killing will affect the ceasefire negotiations. The Hamas political leadership is very keen to achieve a hudna, a ceasefire, even though the group's military wing has reservations. It is possible that Hamas will make do with the Qassam barrages it fired yesterday as the appropriate Palestinian response to the incident. Its real test will be its ability to impose its will on the smaller factions, and tomorrow will be critical in signalling which way the situation may go.

EDITORIAL in PALESTINIAN AL-QUDS

A lethal shell fired from an Israeli tank ripped the bodies of four children and their mother yesterday in Beit Hanoun while the mother was preparing breakfast... Israeli society should understand that attacking civilians, especially women and children, and endorsing the use of lethal force to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict were and never will be a successful way to establish security and stability in the region. On the contrary, they are a sure recipe for more bloodshed.

YAHYA RABAH in PALESTINIAN AL-HAYAT AL-JADIDAH

We have three matters to achieve in Cairo: the calm, the siege and [intra-Palestinian] dialogue. The indirect dialogue with the Israeli occupation on the calm and siege should be governed by our national dialogue, restoration of unity and an end of the horrific split that is bringing us close to another Catastrophe [reference to the Arab defeat in 1948].

RAJAB ABU-SURAYYAH in PALESTINIAN AL-AYYAM

The daily Israeli measures and developments on the ground underline the fact that Gaza is unable to reach a calm agreement in return for lifting the Israeli siege. Equally, Ramallah [the Palestinian Authority] is unable to achieve peace based on ending the occupation of the West Bank and establishing an independent state there.

DR ISAM SHAWAR in PALESTINIAN FILASTIN

After the ugly crime committed against the Palestinians, most of whom were children, we say to the people who have black faces and agendas [the Palestinian Authority] that it is time for them to remain silent for ever. What would they propose in retaliation for this crime and the crimes that were committed before it? They will of course suggest more negotiations and more intimate meetings that might lessen the Zionist thirst for Palestinian blood.

DR HUSAYN ABU-HASHISH in PALESTINIAN FILASTIN

The understandings that Hamas has reached with Egypt on the calm are a golden opportunity for all parties to provide an atmosphere of calm and tranquillity in which there is no aggression or bloodshed. The fact that the occupation is not ready positively to deal with these understandings shows that the occupation has hidden intentions.

MAZIN HAMMAD in PALESTINIAN FILASTIN

The disclosure of [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud Abbas that he has failed to convince Bush to reinvigorate the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations reveals the concern in Fatah's leadership that a possible calm agreement could be reached between Hamas and Israel, which would make the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank irrelevant to what is happening in Gaza. In light of the failure of Abu Mazen [Abbas] to achieve any progress with Israel, reaching a ceasefire agreement with Israel in Gaza would be considered one of Hamas's most outstanding achievements.

<a href="http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk">BBC Monitoring</a><i> selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.</i>