Israel makes first Gaza arrest raid since leaving

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Israeli troops made their first arrests in Gaza since Israel withdrew from the territory last year.

Under the cover of darkness the military arrested two Hamas militants. The army said the militants were planning an imminent large attack against the Jewish state. Israeli ground forces have entered Gaza three times since Israel completed its unilateral withdrawal from the area last September. Saturday marked the first time troops have arrested militants.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was in Gaza for scheduled talks on a power-sharing agreement with the Hamas-led government. But Abbas called off the meeting with Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, signaling a new snag in power-sharing talks between the sides.

Earlier, participants in the talks said a deal was near, but officials from Abbas' Fatah party said he called off the meeting after Hamas officials backtracked from previous agreements reached in the talks.

Abbas has been pressing Hamas to accept a proposal drafted by senior prisoners held by Israel that calls for the implicit recognition of the Jewish state. If Hamas doesn't accept the document, Abbas has said he will move ahead with a July 26 referendum on the proposal. Opinion polls have indicated Palestinian voters would back Abbas.

Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, has so far refused to endorse the deal with Abbas.