A senior Hamas leader warned Tuesday that Israel would do best to accept the terrorist group's proposal of a truce, in which Hamas would end rocket attacks in return for a complete opening of all Gaza crossings with Israel, as well as the Rafiah crossing with Egypt, which bypasses Israe. The proposal also calls for a complete halt to all IDF counterterrorist operations. 

If Israel will not agree, said Mahmoud Zahar in a speech to students at the Islamic University in Gaza City, "then an isolated, starving people and the well-known Palestinian factions among them will have no choice but to use every means against Israel to defend ourselves."

Gaza terrorists had fired at least 21 mortars at Israeli communities in southern Israel by 7:00 p.m. Tuesday evening, as well as a number of Kassam rocket attacks. Earlier in the day, one of the attacks scored a direct hit on a home in Sderot, heavily damaging the structure and severely traumatizing a number of people.