Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon adopted recommendations Thursday evening to give Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas more time to stop mortar fire before taking military action, the Jerusalem Post reported Friday.

The decision was not unrelated to Abbas' swift decision to sack several senior security officials in the Gaza Strip soon after Hamas violated the Sharm el-Sheikh understandings by bombarding Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip Thursday morning.

During the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, which was hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Abbas and Sharon declared a mutual ceasefire.

Abbas' move, the first of its kind since he succeeded Yasser Arafat, was viewed by Israeli security officials as indication of the new leader's resolve to end violence and enforce law and orderin the Gaza Strip.

Sources close to Abbas said that at least 25 security officers would be sacked immediately, including General Abdel Razak Majaydah, overall commander of the National Security Forces in the Gaza Strip, General Saeb al-Ajez, commander of the Civil Police and General Omar Ashour, commander of the National Security Forces in southern Gaza Strip, where rockets and mortars were launched early Thursday morning.

Israeli official said that Abbas now has a golden opportunity to fill these positions with "his own people."

Source: Xinhua