Abbas visits Gaza to rescue truce

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has arrived in Gaza to persuade militants to abide by a ceasefire threatened by sporadic clashes with Israel.
The militants earlier fired rockets at Jewish settlements in response to an Israeli air strike on Wednesday.

No one was hurt in the air strike, which followed the deaths of three people in a Palestinian missile attack on a Jewish settlement on Tuesday.

The strike marked a major upsurge in violence during a four-month old truce.

The BBC's Jerusalem correspondent, Barbara Plett, says both sides offer different explanations for the strain on the ceasefire, accusing the other of violations.

Election tension

Israel also says the mortar attacks on settlements are part of an internal power game, aimed at weakening Mr Abbas.

Mr Abbas is expected to meet leaders from the Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups during his three-day stay in Gaza, as well as holding talks with colleagues from his Fatah party
On arriving in the territory, he criticised the Israeli air strike as "an unjustified operation" that "will destroy the truce".

Our correspondent says the Palestinian Authority's dealings with the militants have deteriorated since Mr Abbas announced the indefinite postponement parliamentary elections scheduled for July.

Hamas had been planning to contest the polls and capitalise on dissatisfaction with the administration.

Escalating violence

Israeli aircraft on Wednesday fired at militants in the Gaza Strip but the targets of the attack escaped unhurt, witnesses said.

The Israeli military said it targeted a mortar launcher and a vehicle carrying mortar shells near Khan Younis.

The militant group Hamas said that both the vehicle targeted on Wednesday and the people nearby belonged to the organisation.

They managed to escape before the explosion, witnesses said.

The assault followed a missile attack on a Jewish settlement in Gaza on Tuesday that killed three people - two Palestinian workers and a Chinese worker.

On the same day three Palestinians, including a militant leader, were shot dead by Israeli troops.

Separately, Israel and Palestinian officials say they have agreed to co-operate closely on ensuring calm prevails during the Gaza pullout later this year.

Israel's Defence Minister, Shaul Mofaz, met Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Youssef to discuss joint security measures.

The Israeli defence ministry said "co-ordination in the field" would ensure Palestinians could deploy their security forces to prevent militants from taking over in areas vacated by Israel.