Olmert 'will respond to rocket attacks'

Occupied Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said yesterday Israel would take measures to stop Palestinian militants firing rockets from the Gaza Strip or attempting to infiltrate the Jewish state.

Olmert told cabinet ministers at a weekly session Israel "cannot ignore" the shootings.

"We are not interested in an escalation but will by no means refrain from taking the necessary steps to stop those who try to harm Israeli residents in the south," Olmert said. He did not spell out what measures he would take.

Violence at the Israeli-Gaza frontier has increased in recent days since militants of the ruling Hamas faction broke a five-month ceasefire last week after Israel killed nine Palestinians in clashes in the occupied West Bank.

Major-General Burhan Hamad, an Egyptian officer shuttling between Gaza and Israel in a bid to stop the violence, said the rocket fire and Israel's shootings have "led to a retreat" in efforts to finalise an anticipated prisoner swap.

Israel has sought freedom for Corporal Gilad Shalit, whose capture in a cross-border raid last year has been an obstacle to US-backed efforts to restart long-stalled peace talks.