A “surprising diplomatic breakthrough?”

Defense Minister Amir Peretz revealed on Thursday that a “surprising diplomatic breakthrough” was possible in the attempts to release kidnapped Cpl. Gilad Shalit, but did not elaborate on the development.

“We are in one of the most crucial stages of establishing the rules of conduct between us and the Palestinian terror organizations, he asserted.

Still, he approved the continuation of IDF operations in Gaza that have been taking place since Tuesday night. He urged the forces to be aware of the Palestinian population’s distress, Army Radio reported.

As part of the continuing offensive, the IAF confirmed that it had struck a car in Gaza that transported two Islamic Jihad operatives. Conflicting reports vary on the fate of the targets. Some Palestinian sources revealed that at least one of the passengers was wounded in the attack, while others claimed that both escaped unharmed.

Meanwhile, Palestinian operatives laid an explosive device along the border with Egypt, and blasted a large hole in the fence. Egyptian officers lined the breach and Palestinian security forces fired in the air to prevent entry of Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula.

Murdered Israeli teen Eliyahu Asheri’s parents grieve:

“The pain is great, almost too great to bear,” said Miriam Asheri, mother of slain Itamar resident Eliyahu Asheri in an interview with Israel Radio on Thursday.

“But one thing I feel, despite all this…is that in the wake of disagreements between our brethren, with our different worldviews and different relationships to the land of Israel that creates a lot of conflict, a lot of anger, a lot of argument – many times, I’ve asked G-d that he should first of all grant me love for everyone in my heart, and … that He should show me the special quality of the nation of Israel, and that I should succeed – that we should all succeed in loving each other…truly from the heart.”

And you can always depend on France acting like…France.