Hamas, Israel hold fire; officials say Gaza troops out by inauguration

This is the first official indication that Israel plans a rapid withdrawal of its forces after announcing a unilateral ceasefire late Saturday.

Thousands of troops started coming out of Gaza on Saturday, as Israel declared its intention to unilaterally halt its fire. Hamas ceased its own fire 12 hours later, but large contingents of soldiers have been kept close to the border on the Israeli side, prepared to re-enter if violence reignites.

Israel made this plan known at a dinner Sunday with European leaders who came to the region in an effort to consolidate the fragile ceasefire that Israel and Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers declared on Sunday after a devastating, three-week Israeli onslaught. The pullout could only be carried out if militants continue to halt their fire, the officials told AP.

A swift withdrawal would reduce the likelihood of clashes between militants and Israeli troops that could rupture the truce.

By getting its soldiers out before the Obama inauguration, Israel would spare the new administration the trouble of having to deal with a burning problem in Gaza from day one. Obama has said Mideast peace will be a priority for his administration even as it grapples with a global economic crisis and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Government spokesman Mark Regev would not confirm the timetable. He said only that if Gaza remains quiet Israel's departure will be "almost immediate".

The discoveries brought the overall death toll since Israel launched Operation Cast Lead on Dec. 27 to more than 1,300, including more than 400 children, medics said. Another 5,300 were wounded.

HUMANITARIAN DEMANDS
According to the Palestinian Statistics Bureau, some 4,000 residential buildings were reduced to rubble during the conflict. Western diplomats have said it could cost at least $1.6 billion to repair the infrastructure damage in Gaza.

"I don't know what sort of future I have now -- only God knows my future after this," Amani Kurdi, a 19-year-old student, told Reuters as she surveyed the wreckage of Gaza's Islamic University, where she had studied science.

Hamas officials, during talks with Egyptian mediators, said the faction demanded the opening of all Gaza's border crossings for the entry of materials, food, goods and basic needs.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy -- joined on Sunday by leaders of Germany, Britain, Spain, Italy and the Czech Republic as current president of the EU for talks with Olmert -- called on Israel to open Gaza's borders to aid as soon as possible.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel wanted out of Gaza as soon as possible and his spokesman, Mark Regev, said "enormous amounts" of aid could be allowed in if the quiet holds.

In Israel, which lost 10 troops in combat and three civilians to rocket attacks, the offensive was popular and bolstered the prospects of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak before a Feb. 10 election.

Yet opinion polls still predict an easy win for right-wing opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who had opposed Israel's 2005 withdrawal from Gaza after 38 years of occupation, arguing that it would embolden hardline Palestinian Islamists.

Though much of the international community shuns Hamas, it has strong grassroots support and Gaza's suffering threatened to sap the credibility of Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his efforts to negotiate peace with Israel.