The announcement was signed by the Hamas-affiliated Popular Resistance Committees, the Izaddin Al-Kassam Brigades, and the Islamic Army.
"If our demands are not met by 6 AM Tuesday," the declaration states, "we will view this stage of our operation as being over, and the Zionist enemy will be the one to bear the responsibility for the consequences."
Israeli officials say they will study the announcement and then decide on their next steps. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has emphasized several times, including yesterday, that Israel will not negotiate with the kidnappers nor give in to their demands. Taking the offensive, he further said that "no one will be immune" to Israel's long arm.
IDF forces entered northern Gaza in several places this morning, after having been deployed on the border since Wednesday night. The stated goal of the operation, which is still described as "limited," is to find underground tunnels and enemy-planted explosive devices. As of now, the forces - tanks, armed personnel carriers and bulldozers - are not going further than several hundred meters into Gaza. One bulldozer cleared away concrete barriers from one of the roads.
An analyst for Army Radio, which first broke the story at around 9:20 this morning, said that the ultimatum could be the terrorists' reaction to the news that Israel might be planning to take "weeks or months" in its attempts to obtain the release of the kidnapped soldier. "The terrorists don't have that much time," said commentator Shimrit Meir, "as food has to be brought in, and they fear that the Israelis are closing in on them, etc. That's why they want to close this and go to the next stage right away."
Knesset Member Ruby Rivlin (Likud) said, "We must not give in, and there must be no blackmail; blackmailers exist only where there are blackmailees."
MK Uri Ariel (National Union) said, "To give in now is a direct recipe for another kidnapping of another soldier."
Unsurprisingly, Arab MK Ahmed Tibi said, "I call for the immediate beginning of negotiations for the release of prisoners [held in Israeli jails]."
Eight days after Corp. Gilad Shalit was kidnapped in a military-style operation by Hamas Authority terrorists - two soldiers were killed in the attack - there is still no concrete news as to his condition. The Arabic-language London-based Al-Hayat newspaper reports today that an Egyptian delegation visited Shalit, and that a PA doctor treated him. Similar recent reports of observers having seen the abducted soldier have turned out to be false.
The Egyptians threaten to end their attempts to mediate a negotiated solution if Hamas does not respond to the latest proposals by tonight.
Overnight, Israel Air Force aircraft bombed a warehouse used to manufacture and store Kassams and other war materiel. The building serves as a jump-off base for Kassam launching cells.
Three Palestinian Hamas terrorists were killed during the night, while trying to attack the IDF forces that have been in the southern Gaza Dahaniye airport area for several days. The Israelis noticed the three approaching them, and opened fire. One of them managed to return fire, while another one blew himself up with the explosive suicide vest he was wearing. The third terrorist was also found to be wearing an explosive suicide vest.
"If our demands are not met by 6 AM Tuesday," the declaration states, "we will view this stage of our operation as being over, and the Zionist enemy will be the one to bear the responsibility for the consequences."
Israeli officials say they will study the announcement and then decide on their next steps. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has emphasized several times, including yesterday, that Israel will not negotiate with the kidnappers nor give in to their demands. Taking the offensive, he further said that "no one will be immune" to Israel's long arm.
IDF forces entered northern Gaza in several places this morning, after having been deployed on the border since Wednesday night. The stated goal of the operation, which is still described as "limited," is to find underground tunnels and enemy-planted explosive devices. As of now, the forces - tanks, armed personnel carriers and bulldozers - are not going further than several hundred meters into Gaza. One bulldozer cleared away concrete barriers from one of the roads.
An analyst for Army Radio, which first broke the story at around 9:20 this morning, said that the ultimatum could be the terrorists' reaction to the news that Israel might be planning to take "weeks or months" in its attempts to obtain the release of the kidnapped soldier. "The terrorists don't have that much time," said commentator Shimrit Meir, "as food has to be brought in, and they fear that the Israelis are closing in on them, etc. That's why they want to close this and go to the next stage right away."
Knesset Member Ruby Rivlin (Likud) said, "We must not give in, and there must be no blackmail; blackmailers exist only where there are blackmailees."
MK Uri Ariel (National Union) said, "To give in now is a direct recipe for another kidnapping of another soldier."
Unsurprisingly, Arab MK Ahmed Tibi said, "I call for the immediate beginning of negotiations for the release of prisoners [held in Israeli jails]."
Eight days after Corp. Gilad Shalit was kidnapped in a military-style operation by Hamas Authority terrorists - two soldiers were killed in the attack - there is still no concrete news as to his condition. The Arabic-language London-based Al-Hayat newspaper reports today that an Egyptian delegation visited Shalit, and that a PA doctor treated him. Similar recent reports of observers having seen the abducted soldier have turned out to be false.
The Egyptians threaten to end their attempts to mediate a negotiated solution if Hamas does not respond to the latest proposals by tonight.
Overnight, Israel Air Force aircraft bombed a warehouse used to manufacture and store Kassams and other war materiel. The building serves as a jump-off base for Kassam launching cells.
Three Palestinian Hamas terrorists were killed during the night, while trying to attack the IDF forces that have been in the southern Gaza Dahaniye airport area for several days. The Israelis noticed the three approaching them, and opened fire. One of them managed to return fire, while another one blew himself up with the explosive suicide vest he was wearing. The third terrorist was also found to be wearing an explosive suicide vest.