Israel pulls its troops from Gaza

Israeli troops pulled out of the Gaza Strip early today after a 48-hour ground incursion that had prompted growing international criticism and a suspension of peace talks with the Palestinian Authority.

Mounting casualties in Gaza drew protests from European and Arab capitals and sent thousands of Palestinians into the streets across the West Bank, where Israeli troops killed a teenager during a demonstration Sunday.

Israeli officials said the weekend incursion by hundreds of troops backed by tanks had inflicted heavy losses on militant rocket-firing squads. The troops withdrew around dawn, but officials said airstrikes and other “defensive measures” against the militants would continue.

The ground operation “has run its course,” Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon told Army Radio. “There were dozens of deaths among the terrorists. This is certainly deterrence.”

Hamas, the Islamic group that runs Gaza, declared victory as residents of northern Gaza who had taken refuge in their homes poured into the streets. He said the rocket fire into southern Israel would continue.

“The enemy has been defeated,” said Sami abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official.

The rise in violence, which began Wednesday, posed a challenge for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who had hoped during her visit here this week to advance peace talks. President Bush helped launch the negotiations in November with the aim of reaching an accord on Palestinian statehood by the end of his term.

Instead, Rice faces the task of getting talks back on track.

Nabil abu Rudaineh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said that Israel’s “unjust war and open-ended massacre [in Gaza] is obstructing the peace process,” making it untenable for Palestinian negotiators to meet with Israeli counterparts “until the aggression ends.”

It was not clear whether the departure of Israel’s ground troops would lead to an early resumption of the talks.

Israeli officials say the incursion aimed to push Hamas and other militant groups away from the border, putting their rockets beyond range of Israeli towns that have been hit nearly every day for months.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak indicated Sunday that the assault was a rehearsal for a bigger Israeli operation that he said would try to weaken Gaza’s ruling Hamas movement “and, in the right circumstances, even bring it down.”

Abbas’ secular-led government claims to speak for both Palestinian territories but controls only the West Bank. His bitter enemies in Hamas reject his efforts to reach a peace accord with Israel.

As much as he would like to see Hamas weakened, Abbas is careful to distance himself from Israel when it attacks Gaza. The peace talks have not achieved enough to boost his stature among Palestinians and he fears losing credibility to militant groups that call for Israel’s destruction.

In a show of solidarity with Gazans, Abbas declared a day of mourning Sunday and donated blood for wounded Palestinians. He told reporters at his West Bank office that he had been contacting foreign leaders and seeking support.

The European Union and Turkey joined Sunday with Arab countries that have criticized Israel for using what they say is disproportionate force in Gaza, where civilians account for more than a third of the scores of Palestinians killed since Wednesday.

The U.N. Security Council urged Israelis and Palestinians to “immediately cease all acts of violence.” In Texas, National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters, “The violence needs to stop and the talks need to resume.”

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rejected the criticism.

“No one has the moral right to preach to Israel for taking the elementary step of self-defense,” he said, adding that attacking Hamas “strengthens the chance for peace.”

“I’m sure that beyond certain statements, the Palestinian leadership, the one with whom we want to achieve peace, also understands that,” he said.

Despite the assault, the Israeli army said the militants fired at least 25 rockets Sunday into Israel, hitting three houses and slightly wounding nine people.

Olmert came under criticism from both ends of Israel’s political spectrum. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party, said the government must take stronger action against Hamas.

Yoel Mizrahi, speaking at the funeral of his nephew, one of two Israeli soldiers killed Saturday in the fighting, issued an antiwar appeal: “Gaza is not our country. Parents, wake up and stop the next tragedy. Do not send them to Gaza.”

In the West Bank city of Hebron, Mahmoud Musalameh, a 14-year-old boy wearing a Hamas headband, died after Israeli troops opened fire on what a military spokesman called a dangerous Palestinian crowd that was protesting the incursion by throwing rocks and firebombs.

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boudreaux@latimes.com

Special correspondent Maher Abukhater in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.