Israeli cabinet meets, reactions to Hamas and airstrikes

(25 Sep 2005) 1. Exterior of Israeli Prime Minister's office 2. Cars with security escorts arriving 3. Security arrangements around the Prime Minister's office 4. Minister of Defence, Shaul Mofaz arrives for meeting 5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Shimon Peres, Israeli Vice premier: "Hamas is a wild organisation, they are incapable of guarding their arms, they brought a catastrophe for their own people, they are a chaos for the Palestinians, a danger for peace and a problem for Israel." 6. Shimon Peres walking into meeting 7. Prime minister Ariel Sharon arrives for meeting 8. Wide of cabinet meeting 9. SOUNDBITE: (Hebrew) Ariel Sharon, Israeli Prime Minister: "My instructions were for no restraint to be used to hit terrorists, their equipment and their hiding places. The instructions are very clear." 10. Various of meeting 11. Ministers seated around table STORYLINE: The Israeli cabinet met on Sunday morning in Jerusalem amid an escalating crisis between Israel and the Palestinians and against the background of a military operation to crush Hamas militants in Gaza. Alluding to Friday's incident at a Hamas rally where the accidental explosion of ammunition resulted in the deaths of at least fifteen people, Vice Premier Shimon Peres described the militant organisation as, "a danger for peace and a problem for Israel." Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the ministers that he had made it very clear to the military that they could use any means necessary to target Hamas militants, their equipment and hiding places. A group of senior Israeli Cabinet officials, led by Sharon, approved the military operation in Gaza at an emergency meeting late Saturday after Hamas militants fired nearly 40 rockets from Gaza at southern Israeli towns. A ground operation would require final approval from the full Cabinet. It was not clear whether the granting of approval is on the agenda at Sunday's meeting. The offensive has dashed hopes that Israel's recently completed Gaza withdrawal would help restart peace talks and left a seven-month-old cease-fire on the brink of collapse. The fighting also raised already intense pressure on Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to confront militants, and weakened Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as he parries a challenge to his leadership. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...