Israel, Hamas resume fire after three-day Gaza truce
9 Aug 2014 12:31 AM GMT
Sound of explosions broke the 72-hour lull in Gaza on Friday after Hamas refused to extend the ceasefire and fired a barrage of rockets at Israel which responded by air strikes killing a child, as Egypt-mediated talks to negotiate a durable truce hit a deadlock.
Gaza-based militants fired first after the temporary truce expired at 8 am (local time), launching 21 rockets toward Israel and marking the resumption of the month-long devastating conflict that has killed nearly 1,900 Palestinians and 67 people in Israel, including 64 soldiers.
The IDF said, in total, more than 35 rockets were fired at Israel on Friday.
The military said its Iron Dome anti-missile shield had intercepted three rockets, while the remaining ones fell on open ground.
The violence resumed after Egyptian-brokered talks between Israel and Palestinian factions hit a deadlock. Negotiators in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, were working against the clock on Thursday to persuade the two sides to extend the 72-hour ceasefire and agree a long-term deal.
But Hamas said Israel had failed to meet its key demands, including the lifting of the blockade of Gaza, the release of prisoners and the end of the Israeli offensive. The group also rejected Israel’s call for the demilitarisation of Gaza. A Hamas spokesman said his organisation was ready for ‘a long war’.
The Israeli military said it carried out strikes on militant targets in Gaza in response to the barrage of rockets fired after the three-day truce in the region came to an end. A 10-year-old child was killed in an Israeli air strike, the first death since the temporary truce expired. A woman was wounded in the same attack.
Gaza-based militants fired first after the temporary truce expired at 8 am (local time), launching 21 rockets toward Israel and marking the resumption of the month-long devastating conflict that has killed nearly 1,900 Palestinians and 67 people in Israel, including 64 soldiers.
The IDF said, in total, more than 35 rockets were fired at Israel on Friday.
The military said its Iron Dome anti-missile shield had intercepted three rockets, while the remaining ones fell on open ground.
The violence resumed after Egyptian-brokered talks between Israel and Palestinian factions hit a deadlock. Negotiators in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, were working against the clock on Thursday to persuade the two sides to extend the 72-hour ceasefire and agree a long-term deal.
But Hamas said Israel had failed to meet its key demands, including the lifting of the blockade of Gaza, the release of prisoners and the end of the Israeli offensive. The group also rejected Israel’s call for the demilitarisation of Gaza. A Hamas spokesman said his organisation was ready for ‘a long war’.
The Israeli military said it carried out strikes on militant targets in Gaza in response to the barrage of rockets fired after the three-day truce in the region came to an end. A 10-year-old child was killed in an Israeli air strike, the first death since the temporary truce expired. A woman was wounded in the same attack.
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