Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi says Israel's "aggression" against Gaza will end Tuesday.

Israeli soldiers prepare weapons and vehicles in a deployment area
Israeli soldiers prepare weapons and vehicles in a deployment area (Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)
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Speaking to reporters Tuesday in the Nile Delta city of Zagazig, Morsi did not provide any evidence to support his prediction that an end to Israel's weeklong offensive against Gaza is imminent. He only said negotiations between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers will yield "positive results" during the coming hours without elaborating.

His prediction in comments carried on Egypt's official MENA news agency comes as international diplomatic efforts to end the fighting picked up pace with the scheduled arrival in the region later Tuesday of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Senior Hamas military chief urges continued battle

A man identified as the most elusive top military commander of Hamas is urging the group's fighters to keep up attacks on Israel.

Mohammed Deif, seriously wounded in an Israeli airstrike in 2003, says Hamas "must invest all resources to uproot this aggressor from our land," a reference to Israel.

He was speaking from hiding on Hamas-run TV and radio.

Deif is one of the founders of the Hamas military wing and was its top commander until he was wounded in 2003. He was replaced as by Ahmed Jabari, who was assassinated by Israel last week in the opening salvo of its latest Gaza offensive.

The speaker on TV and radio was introduced as Deif, and a Gaza reporter said the speaker sounded like Deif.

 


(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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