DW-World.de
Deutsche Welle

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has vowed to end Hamas's control of Gaza after a sharp escalation in violence since a ceasefire expired last week Friday. Livni made the statement after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo to discuss the situation in the Palestinian territory. Egyptian Foreign Minister  Ahmed Abul Ghei, whose government mediated the six-month truce, has called for restraint and an alleviation of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. On Wednesday, Hamas militants hit southern Israel with more than 80 rockets and mortars, causing no injuries but generating widespread panic. Israel has said it will not re-open planned border crossings which allows trucks to deliver supplies the 1.5 million inhabitants of the impoverished territory.