NIZMIT HILL, Israel (Reuters) - Israeli tanks and troops massed near Gaza on Tuesday for a threatened offensive against Palestinian militants as the Israeli government said it would target Hamas leaders if an abducted soldier was not freed.
In northern Gaza, Palestinians blocked roads with dirt and barbed wire. Militants wielding automatic rifles and anti-tank rockets rigged explosive devices along a road as tensions hit their highest since
Israel quit Gaza nearly a year ago.
The United States urged Israel to give diplomatic negotiations a chance to win the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit, who was seized on Sunday by militants who also killed two soldiers in a raid on a military border post.
Israel's military build-up came as Palestinian factions put aside months of internal acrimony and agreed on a manifesto at the heart of a power struggle between the moderate President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas.
The proposal calls for a Palestinian state alongside Israel. But one Hamas lawmaker said the deal did not mean the militant group was recognizing Israel, which it is sworn to destroy.
Israel is looking for any reason to attack the Palestinian people and now they have their reason.
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