8 aug 2014
An emergency worker carries a child wounded in an Israeli air strike on the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City, as he arrives at the city's Al-Shifa hospital, on August 8, 2014
Sources close to talks in Egypt told Ma'an Friday that an unofficial cessation to hostilities will be implemented until 8 p.m. as mediators attempt to reach an agreement between Palestinian and Israeli delegations.
Well placed sources in Cairo said that Palestinian and Israeli delegations have "agreed to almost all main points that need a solution" through indirect talks.
According to the sources, only "limited" disagreements remain and an agreement has been reached "on the majority of the subjects concerning the Palestinians."
The sources called for an end to military operations by both sides, but said negotiations could go on under fire until an agreement is reached.
Israeli warplanes struck multiple targets across the Gaza Strip on Friday after a 72-hour ceasefire agreement ended at 8 a.m, killing a child and injuring 15 Palestinians.
Sources close to talks in Egypt told Ma'an Friday that an unofficial cessation to hostilities will be implemented until 8 p.m. as mediators attempt to reach an agreement between Palestinian and Israeli delegations.
Well placed sources in Cairo said that Palestinian and Israeli delegations have "agreed to almost all main points that need a solution" through indirect talks.
According to the sources, only "limited" disagreements remain and an agreement has been reached "on the majority of the subjects concerning the Palestinians."
The sources called for an end to military operations by both sides, but said negotiations could go on under fire until an agreement is reached.
Israeli warplanes struck multiple targets across the Gaza Strip on Friday after a 72-hour ceasefire agreement ended at 8 a.m, killing a child and injuring 15 Palestinians.
Gaza rocket hits Sderot home
The Israeli military on Friday said that a rocket from Gaza hit a home in the southern Israeli town of Sderot.
The military said in a statement that 45 rockets had been fired as of 3:45 p.m.
The Israeli military on Friday said that a rocket from Gaza hit a home in the southern Israeli town of Sderot.
The military said in a statement that 45 rockets had been fired as of 3:45 p.m.
Israeli airstrikes hit homes in eastern Gaza City, al-Zaytoun
Israeli airstrikes hit a number of homes in eastern Gaza City and in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City on Friday afternoon.
Israeli airstrikes hit a number of homes in eastern Gaza City and in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City on Friday afternoon.
Twenty-six Palestinians who were detained during the Israeli offensive on Gaza are being held for interrogation in Ashkelon prison, a lawyer for the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoner Affairs said on Friday.
Dozens were released after being detained for a few days, while others were still being kept for interrogation, the lawyer said.
The Israel army previously admitted that 159 Palestinians had been arrested during the Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip and that they had been transferred to the Shin Bet intelligence agency for questioning.
It was unclear where the remaining Palestinians were being held.
The Palestinian Prisoner's Ministry accused Israel of "withholding" crucial information on the detainees that would allow the ministry to keep track of them, including their ID numbers, locations, and conditions.
Minister of Prisoner Affairs Shawqi al-Ayasa said in a statement on Wednesday that there were "growing fears that some of the prisoners have been executed."
Dozens were released after being detained for a few days, while others were still being kept for interrogation, the lawyer said.
The Israel army previously admitted that 159 Palestinians had been arrested during the Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip and that they had been transferred to the Shin Bet intelligence agency for questioning.
It was unclear where the remaining Palestinians were being held.
The Palestinian Prisoner's Ministry accused Israel of "withholding" crucial information on the detainees that would allow the ministry to keep track of them, including their ID numbers, locations, and conditions.
Minister of Prisoner Affairs Shawqi al-Ayasa said in a statement on Wednesday that there were "growing fears that some of the prisoners have been executed."
The Israeli military on Friday said that an Israeli soldier and a civilian were injured in a rocket strike on Sdot Negev in southern Israel.
The rocket strike came after a 72-hour ceasefire ended at 8 a.m. after Palestinian factions said Israel refused conditions calling for the lifting of the blockade of Gaza for a long-term ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli military said that since hostilities resumed Friday morning, 33 rockets had been launched at Israel, of which 26 hit, three were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome system, and four landed short.
The Israeli military on Friday morning also said in a statement that it was renewing "protection" orders for civilians across the south limiting large gatherings, including any gathering of more than 500 civilians anywhere within 40 kilometers (25 miles) of the Gaza Strip, which covers Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Beer Sheva.
Gatherings of more than 1,000 civilians, meanwhile, were banned in all areas 40-80 kilometers (50 miles) from Gaza, including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Netanya, Beit Shemesh, the Jordan Valley, and the Negev region.
Since the ceasefire ended on Friday morning, Israeli air strikes have killed one Palestinian and injured 12 more, bringing the total Palestinian dead in the more than month-long Israeli assault to more than 1,890.
IDF @IDFSpokesperson Since 8:00, over 18 rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel. 2 were intercepted above Ashkelon, 14 hit open areas & 2 landed in Gaza. - A rocket that hit the Sdot Negev regional council injured a civilian moderately & a soldier lightly. - Every rocket fired by Hamas is meant to kill Israeli civilians. Every rocket is a war crime.
The rocket strike came after a 72-hour ceasefire ended at 8 a.m. after Palestinian factions said Israel refused conditions calling for the lifting of the blockade of Gaza for a long-term ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli military said that since hostilities resumed Friday morning, 33 rockets had been launched at Israel, of which 26 hit, three were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome system, and four landed short.
The Israeli military on Friday morning also said in a statement that it was renewing "protection" orders for civilians across the south limiting large gatherings, including any gathering of more than 500 civilians anywhere within 40 kilometers (25 miles) of the Gaza Strip, which covers Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Beer Sheva.
Gatherings of more than 1,000 civilians, meanwhile, were banned in all areas 40-80 kilometers (50 miles) from Gaza, including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Netanya, Beit Shemesh, the Jordan Valley, and the Negev region.
Since the ceasefire ended on Friday morning, Israeli air strikes have killed one Palestinian and injured 12 more, bringing the total Palestinian dead in the more than month-long Israeli assault to more than 1,890.
IDF @IDFSpokesperson Since 8:00, over 18 rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel. 2 were intercepted above Ashkelon, 14 hit open areas & 2 landed in Gaza. - A rocket that hit the Sdot Negev regional council injured a civilian moderately & a soldier lightly. - Every rocket fired by Hamas is meant to kill Israeli civilians. Every rocket is a war crime.
Tweets:
Bel Trew - بل ترو @Beltrew Fight jets circling #Gaza right now -Can see Israeli ships moving closer to #Gaza shore. -Lots of drones in the sky, F16s too.
أبو علي @Hassan_Abaza1 Jabalia refugee camp at north #Gaza has a massive population density was attacked now.
OccPal-Gaza @OccPalGaza Reports of 4 injuries in attack on NGO (Friends of Hospitals) in Gaza City. Air strike was from one drone missile. #Gaza
Momen Shataly @MomenShataly Breaking: israel bombs Al-Nour mosque with people inside preparing for Friday prayer..casualties reported
Bel Trew - بل ترو @Beltrew Fight jets circling #Gaza right now -Can see Israeli ships moving closer to #Gaza shore. -Lots of drones in the sky, F16s too.
أبو علي @Hassan_Abaza1 Jabalia refugee camp at north #Gaza has a massive population density was attacked now.
OccPal-Gaza @OccPalGaza Reports of 4 injuries in attack on NGO (Friends of Hospitals) in Gaza City. Air strike was from one drone missile. #Gaza
Momen Shataly @MomenShataly Breaking: israel bombs Al-Nour mosque with people inside preparing for Friday prayer..casualties reported
Official: Israel PM orders 'forceful' retaliation to Gaza fire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to retaliate after rocket attacks by Palestinian fighters followed the end of a three-day truce on Friday, an official said.
"The Israeli prime minister and defense minister have ordered the IDF to retaliate forcefully to the Hamas breach of the ceasefire," an official said in a statement.
Islamic Jihad, the PRC, and a Fatah affiliated military wing have claimed responsibility for rocket fire into Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to retaliate after rocket attacks by Palestinian fighters followed the end of a three-day truce on Friday, an official said.
"The Israeli prime minister and defense minister have ordered the IDF to retaliate forcefully to the Hamas breach of the ceasefire," an official said in a statement.
Islamic Jihad, the PRC, and a Fatah affiliated military wing have claimed responsibility for rocket fire into Israel.
Israeli warplanes struck multiple targets across the Gaza Strip on Friday after a 72-hour ceasefire agreement ended at 8 a.m, killing a child and injuring 11 Palestinians.
Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said Ibrahim Zuheir al-Dawawseh, 10, was killed and five others injured in an Israeli strike on a mosque in the Sheikh al-Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City.
Six others were injured across Gaza as Israeli airstrikes targeted Gaza City, northern Gaza, Rafah, and Jabaliya.
There were also reports of shelling in northern Gaza by Israeli naval forces.
Israeli army officials confirmed that the military was renewing airstrikes on Gaza after rocket fire by fighters in the besieged enclave.
Earlier, a ceasefire agreement ended after Palestinian factions said Israel was refusing their demands.
A Palestinian official said Hamas and Islamic Jihad had agreed a ceasefire but then there was an alteration in wording of an agreement regarding the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
A senior Palestinian official accused Israel of procrastinating, warning it could lead to a resumption of the fighting when the deadline runs out.
Shortly after the ceasefire broke down, militants in Gaza fired at least 18 rockets at southern Israel, with Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committee, and Fatah's al-Asifah military wing claiming responsibility.
Four weeks of bloodshed between Israel and Hamas killed 1,890 Palestinians, and 67 people on the Israeli side, almost all soldiers.
UN figures indicate that 73 percent of the Palestinian victims -- or 1,354 people -- were civilians. Of that number, at least 429 were children.
Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said Ibrahim Zuheir al-Dawawseh, 10, was killed and five others injured in an Israeli strike on a mosque in the Sheikh al-Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City.
Six others were injured across Gaza as Israeli airstrikes targeted Gaza City, northern Gaza, Rafah, and Jabaliya.
There were also reports of shelling in northern Gaza by Israeli naval forces.
Israeli army officials confirmed that the military was renewing airstrikes on Gaza after rocket fire by fighters in the besieged enclave.
Earlier, a ceasefire agreement ended after Palestinian factions said Israel was refusing their demands.
A Palestinian official said Hamas and Islamic Jihad had agreed a ceasefire but then there was an alteration in wording of an agreement regarding the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
A senior Palestinian official accused Israel of procrastinating, warning it could lead to a resumption of the fighting when the deadline runs out.
Shortly after the ceasefire broke down, militants in Gaza fired at least 18 rockets at southern Israel, with Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committee, and Fatah's al-Asifah military wing claiming responsibility.
Four weeks of bloodshed between Israel and Hamas killed 1,890 Palestinians, and 67 people on the Israeli side, almost all soldiers.
UN figures indicate that 73 percent of the Palestinian victims -- or 1,354 people -- were civilians. Of that number, at least 429 were children.
Fearful of the growing international demand that Israeli officers be tried for war crimes committed during this last offensive against the Gaza Strip, the military has ordered a comprehensive internal probe of the army's actions during Operation Protective Edge.
"We didn't cooperate with the Goldstone report and, in the end, it disappeared from the world." ~Israeli PM Netanyahu
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has also appealed to American legislators to help Israel stave off future accusations against military and political leaders of war crimes committed during the last israeli offensive agaisnt Gaza.
According to the The New York Post, during a meeting on Wednesday with members of Congress who are visiting Israel as guests of AIPAC, Netanyahu urged the American representatives to assist Israeli officials who wish to avoid trial by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The members of Congress heard the latest from the prime minister regarding the tenuous Gaza ceasefire, as well as Jerusalem’s strained relations with the Obama administration.
“The prime minister asked us to work together to ensure that this strategy of going to the ICC does not succeed,” said Rep. Steve Israel (D – NY), to the Post.
Netanyahu “wants the US to use all the tools that we have at our disposal to, number one, make sure the world knows that war crimes were not committed by Israel, they were committed by Hamas. And that Israel should not be held to a double standard,” he added.
According to the Israeli press the foreign ministry is considering to refuse cooperation with any international investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes during its last offensive against Gaza. Israel will claim that the UN inquiry committee is comprised of biased nations that will vote against Israel no matter what the findings.
Ynet, the major Israeli news portal, reported that a senior official at the ministry of foreign affairs said "We didn't cooperate with the Goldstone report and, in the end, it disappeared from the world,"
Related info: Jews Against Genocide Hold Memorial for Palestinian Children at Yad Vashem
"We didn't cooperate with the Goldstone report and, in the end, it disappeared from the world." ~Israeli PM Netanyahu
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has also appealed to American legislators to help Israel stave off future accusations against military and political leaders of war crimes committed during the last israeli offensive agaisnt Gaza.
According to the The New York Post, during a meeting on Wednesday with members of Congress who are visiting Israel as guests of AIPAC, Netanyahu urged the American representatives to assist Israeli officials who wish to avoid trial by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The members of Congress heard the latest from the prime minister regarding the tenuous Gaza ceasefire, as well as Jerusalem’s strained relations with the Obama administration.
“The prime minister asked us to work together to ensure that this strategy of going to the ICC does not succeed,” said Rep. Steve Israel (D – NY), to the Post.
Netanyahu “wants the US to use all the tools that we have at our disposal to, number one, make sure the world knows that war crimes were not committed by Israel, they were committed by Hamas. And that Israel should not be held to a double standard,” he added.
According to the Israeli press the foreign ministry is considering to refuse cooperation with any international investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes during its last offensive against Gaza. Israel will claim that the UN inquiry committee is comprised of biased nations that will vote against Israel no matter what the findings.
Ynet, the major Israeli news portal, reported that a senior official at the ministry of foreign affairs said "We didn't cooperate with the Goldstone report and, in the end, it disappeared from the world,"
Related info: Jews Against Genocide Hold Memorial for Palestinian Children at Yad Vashem
As the 72-hour temporary truce comes to an unsatisfactory end, with Israel failing to meet demands presented by negotiators in Cairo, Palestinian resistance in Gaza has fired a number of rockets into Israel within minutes of the ceasefire's expiration.
According to the Israeli military, at least five rockets were fired.
"A rocket was intercepted over Ashkelon," a statement read. "Additional rockets hit open areas in southern Israel."
Al-Quds Brigade, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, took responsibility for three grad rockets fired towards Ashkelon. The brigade is also reported to have targeted Eshkol with four missiles, and Kisufim with five 107 rockets.
Al-Asifah, a military wing of the Fatah faction, also claimed responsibility for targeting Ashkelon with three missiles, according to Ma'an.
Al-Nassar Salah al-Din Brigades claimed two grad missiles fired at Ashkelon, and five rockets at Eshkol.
Israel also fired a missile east of Gaza City.
Al-Quds Brigades retaliated with a shell into the Nahal'Oz Military base, across the border.
"All the Palestinian factions, including Hamas, have agreed not to renew the ceasefire because (Israel) is refusing to accommodate our demands, but negotiations continue in Cairo," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum declared to AFP.
Thousands of Palestinians have now left their homes, in fear of renewed Israeli attacks.
Palestinians flee homes as truce ends, rockets fired at Israel
All Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip have refused to extend a three-day truce with Israel, Hamas said Friday, as the ceasefire ended.
"All the Palestinian factions, including Hamas, have agreed not to renew the ceasefire because (Israel) is refusing to accommodate our demands, but negotiations continue in Cairo," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP.
A Palestinian official said Hamas and Islamic Jihad had agreed a ceasefire but then there was an alteration in wording of an agreement regarding the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
The official said members of the Palestinian delegation to the talks, which is led by a representative of President Mahmoud Abbas, would meet after noon to assess their stance.
Israel had said earlier that it was ready to "indefinitely" extend the ceasefire.
A senior Palestinian official accused Israel of procrastinating, warning it could lead to a resumption of the fighting when the deadline runs out.
"The Israeli delegation is proposing extending the ceasefire while refusing a number of the Palestinian demands," he said, without elaborating.
Thousands of Palestinians were fleeing their homes east of Gaza City on Friday in fear of Israeli attacks.
Open Gaza
Militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets at Israel minutes after the 72-hour truce between Hamas and Israel ended, the army said.
"Since 8 a.m. terrorists fired a barrage of at least five rockets at southern Israel. A rocket was intercepted over Ashkelon," a statement from the military read.
"Additional rockets hit open areas in southern Israel."
The Islamic Jihad's armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigade, took responsibility for firing "three Grad rockets at Ashkelon" in a statement.
It also targeted Eshkol with four missiles and Kisufim with five 107 rockets.
The al-Nassar Salah al-Din Brigades said they fired two grad missiles at Ashkelon, and five rockets at Eshkol.
Al-Asifah, a military wing of Fatah, also claimed responsibility for targeting Ashkelon with three missiles.
Four weeks of bloodshed between Israel and Hamas killed 1,890 Palestinians, and 67 people on the Israeli side, almost all soldiers.
UN figures indicate that 73 percent of the Palestinian victims -- or 1,354 people -- were civilians. Of that number, at least 429 were children.
Speaking in Jerusalem after a visit to Gaza, Red Cross chief Peter Maurer said he was "deeply distressed and shocked" at the impact of violence, saying the scale of the civilian losses must not happen again.
And he suggested there may have been humanitarian law violations.
But Netanyahu stressed to Maurer that "every one of these civilian deaths is a tragedy" while blaming Hamas of "both targeting civilians and hiding behind civilians".
Islamic Jihad blames Israel for ceasefire failure
Islamic Jihad's military wing on Friday blamed Israel for the breakdown of a ceasefire agreement which end on Friday.
The al-Quds Brigades said Israel "ended the temporary ceasefire by not accepting Palestinian demands."
Demands Israel Has Accepted, And Rejected
The following is a list of Palestinian demands presented to Israel by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, during indirect talks held in Egypt between Israeli and Palestinians teams, as published by al-Watan News:
1. Israel totally rejects establishing either a Seaport or an Airport in the Gaza Strip.
2. Totally rejects the release of all detainees who were released under the Shalit Prisoner Swap Deal, and rearrested by Israel.
3. Israel “reserves the right” to act against the tunnels in Gaza.
4. Israel “reserves the right” to conduct targeted killings.
5. Agrees to consider the Rafah Border Terminal as an Egyptian-Palestinian issue.
6. Agrees to release the fourth phase of veteran detainees “as a goodwill gesture toward president Mahmoud Abbas.”
7. Agrees to extend the Palestinian fishing zone in Gaza territorial waters.
8. Agrees to allow the transfer of money for paying salaries in the Gaza Strip.
9. Agrees to ease restrictions on Palestinians crossing the Erez terminal, will not relax restrictions on goods.
10. Agrees to the entry of construction equipment, but only under international supervision.
Just before the 72-hour ceasefire ended on Friday morning, Israeli sources said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to remain ready for any possible escalation.
When the came to an end the resistance fired a missile into the Nahal 'Oz military base, across the border and the army bombarded several areas in the Gaza Strip.
Armed groups also fired shells into Asqalan (Ashkelon) and a number of areas.
|Related: Al-Qassam: “No Ceasefire Without Adhering To Our Legitimate Demands”
Hamas: Israel has refused to respond to ceasefire offer
Hamas on Thursday evening said that Israel had still not replied to its ceasefire offer and threatened that there would be an "escalation" in hostilities if Israel failed to do so, just over twelve hours before a three-day ceasefire was set to expire at 8 a.m. on Friday.
The statements came after US President Barack Obama appeared to support Hamas' demands for an end to the siege earlier in the day by saying that Gaza could not be isolated forever, while Israel refused to budge, leaving the threat of a return to hostilities Friday morning looming.
Sources privy to the Cairo ceasefire talks, however, told Ma'an that a meeting would be held around 10:30 Thursday night between the Palestinian delegation and the Egyptian intelligence minister to give Palestinians the Israeli response to their demands.
The Israeli delegation had met with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon before returning to Egypt Thursday night.
Sources said that there might be an inclination to extend the ceasefire for a further 72 hours for attempts to reach a lasting ceasefire to continue.
Thousands rallied in the streets of Gaza City earlier on Thursday in support of the Palestinian delegation currently in Cairo trying to negotiate a long-term ceasefire with Israel.
Marches called for by Hamas set off from different mosques across the Gaza Strip heading to the Palestinian Legislative Council, the equivalent of the parliament, while speakers urged the talks delegation to ensure that Gazans' "rights" were guaranteed.
"We are here today united to show that we support the Palestinian delegation in Cairo," Hamas member of parliament Mushir al-Masri said, adding: "We tell them to not return unless our conditions and demands have been accepted."
"We have won the military battle and with the permission of God we'll win the political battle," he said during the rally.
Abu Ubaida, the spokesman of the Hamas-affiliated al-Qassam Brigades, said in a televised address Thursday night that the military wing had given the political leadership "the opportunity to negotiate to stop Israel from hurting our people," but insisted that there would be no ceasefire unless Israel agreed to end the siege.
Hamas has insisted that Israel end its eight-year siege on the Gaza Strip, release dozens of prisoners whom Israel has re-arrested that were released in 2011 as part of the Shalit exchange, the re-opening of a seaport and airport in Gaza, and the creation of a safe passage between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Al-Masri pointed out that the demands of Palestinians are their "rights," calling upon Egypt and the Arab World to stand behind them in these demands.
At the same time, al-Masri stressed that if Israel failed to respond and give Palestinians their rights, Hamas was prepared to continue fighting.
"Fighters still have their fingers on the trigger and their missiles targeted towards Israeli cities," he said.
"If Netanyahu does not accept our demands, you will not return to your homes," he added in a pointed statement to the residents of Israeli cities near the Gaza border that have been subjected to Palestinian rocket fire.
Hamas' demands are consistent with the terms of the Oslo Accords signed between Israel and the Palestinians in the 1990s, but which Israel has failed to abide by amid its refusal to consider direct negotiations of any kind with Hamas, which it considers a terrorist group.
Israel, meanwhile, has said that they would be willing to extend the ceasefire indefinitely but have also stressed that a long-term agreement should include the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. Hamas has scoffed at this demand, pointing out that it was Hamas fighters that had prevented the full-scale infiltration and re-occupation of Gaza by Israeli forces in recent days.
Before the ceasefire, Israeli forces pulled out of major Gaza cities and redeployed hundreds of meters inside the border, although air strikes and shelling on Gazan cities continued.
More than 1,886 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 10,000 injured in the month-long conflict. Figures released by UNICEF, the UN children's fund, indicate that 73 percent of the victims - or 1,354 people - were civilians.
Of that number, at least 429 were children -- around 30 percent of the civilian casualties.
67 Israelis -- 95 percent of whom have been soldiers -- have also died.
On Thursday, US President Barack Obama put pressure on intensive ceasefire negotiations in Cairo by saying Gaza could not remain cut off from the world forever.
Britain, France and Germany have put forward an initiative that could bring EU representatives to the Gaza border, a diplomatic source said.
With the ceasefire due to end at 8 a.m. on Friday, Egypt's intelligence chief Mohamed Farid Tohamy was holding a new round of talks with the parties on Thursday afternoon, with the focus on extending the deadline.
But the Israeli delegation was headed back home on Thursday afternoon, an official told AFP. It was not clear whether they would return to Cairo later in the day.
Israel has said it would be prepared to prolong the ceasefire "unconditionally."
But Hamas said agreement had still not been reached to extend the calm which went into force on Tuesday.
"There is no agreement to extend the ceasefire," Hamas' exiled deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzouq wrote on Twitter.
With the guns silent, some semblance of normal life had returned to Gaza over the last three days with traffic clogging the streets and people bustling about their business as shops, banks and markets resume business.
In some areas, there are scenes of utter devastation, with certain districts reduced to an endless sea of rubble and shattered hulks of buildings, an AFP correspondent said.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that Gaza would be rebuilt -- but hopefully for the last time, as international patience showed signs of wearing thin.
"The senseless cycle of suffering in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as in Israel, must end," he said.
"Do we have to continue like this -- build, destroy, and build and destroy?
"We will build again but this must be the last time -- to rebuild. This must stop now."
Gaza must be opened
Ahead of Thursday's talks, Obama insisted that Gaza could not remain forever cut off by Israel's blockade, now in its eighth year.
"Long-term, there has to be a recognition that Gaza cannot sustain itself permanently closed off from the world," Obama told a news conference in Washington, saying the Palestinians needed to see "some prospects for an opening of Gaza so that they do not feel walled off."
Lifting the blockade is the main Palestinian demand in the ceasefire talks in Cairo.
Although Israel has expressed willingness to extend the truce indefinitely, there was no immediate word on its response to that.
"Today will be a crucial day," a member of the Palestinian delegation told AFP.
If a truce extension was proposed "we will think about it .. and that depends on how negotiations proceed today."
Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon sounded a cautious note, saying it was not clear where the talks would lead.
"I'm not sure what the outcome will be of the current discussions in Egypt," he said.
EU force at Rafah?
London, Paris and Berlin tabled an initiative offering an outline for rebuilding Gaza while ensuring Israel's security concerns were properly addressed, a diplomatic source said.
The proposal aims to strengthen the hand of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority while clamping down on Gaza-based militant groups.
It proposes Abbas' security forces take control of border security in Gaza in conjunction with EU representatives and outlines a mechanism for preventing the rearming of militant groups or the construction of new tunnels.
It also envisages opening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt then eventually opening other crossings to Israel. It also refers to the opening of a commercial port in Gaza, the source said.
Netanyahu on Wednesday said Abbas's Palestinian Authority had an "important" role to play in Gaza, particularly in the reconstruction efforts.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called for EU "inspectors" to monitor Gaza's borders, Germany's mass-circulation Bild daily reported on Thursday.
According to the Israeli military, at least five rockets were fired.
"A rocket was intercepted over Ashkelon," a statement read. "Additional rockets hit open areas in southern Israel."
Al-Quds Brigade, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, took responsibility for three grad rockets fired towards Ashkelon. The brigade is also reported to have targeted Eshkol with four missiles, and Kisufim with five 107 rockets.
Al-Asifah, a military wing of the Fatah faction, also claimed responsibility for targeting Ashkelon with three missiles, according to Ma'an.
Al-Nassar Salah al-Din Brigades claimed two grad missiles fired at Ashkelon, and five rockets at Eshkol.
Israel also fired a missile east of Gaza City.
Al-Quds Brigades retaliated with a shell into the Nahal'Oz Military base, across the border.
"All the Palestinian factions, including Hamas, have agreed not to renew the ceasefire because (Israel) is refusing to accommodate our demands, but negotiations continue in Cairo," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum declared to AFP.
Thousands of Palestinians have now left their homes, in fear of renewed Israeli attacks.
Palestinians flee homes as truce ends, rockets fired at Israel
All Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip have refused to extend a three-day truce with Israel, Hamas said Friday, as the ceasefire ended.
"All the Palestinian factions, including Hamas, have agreed not to renew the ceasefire because (Israel) is refusing to accommodate our demands, but negotiations continue in Cairo," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP.
A Palestinian official said Hamas and Islamic Jihad had agreed a ceasefire but then there was an alteration in wording of an agreement regarding the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
The official said members of the Palestinian delegation to the talks, which is led by a representative of President Mahmoud Abbas, would meet after noon to assess their stance.
Israel had said earlier that it was ready to "indefinitely" extend the ceasefire.
A senior Palestinian official accused Israel of procrastinating, warning it could lead to a resumption of the fighting when the deadline runs out.
"The Israeli delegation is proposing extending the ceasefire while refusing a number of the Palestinian demands," he said, without elaborating.
Thousands of Palestinians were fleeing their homes east of Gaza City on Friday in fear of Israeli attacks.
Open Gaza
Militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets at Israel minutes after the 72-hour truce between Hamas and Israel ended, the army said.
"Since 8 a.m. terrorists fired a barrage of at least five rockets at southern Israel. A rocket was intercepted over Ashkelon," a statement from the military read.
"Additional rockets hit open areas in southern Israel."
The Islamic Jihad's armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigade, took responsibility for firing "three Grad rockets at Ashkelon" in a statement.
It also targeted Eshkol with four missiles and Kisufim with five 107 rockets.
The al-Nassar Salah al-Din Brigades said they fired two grad missiles at Ashkelon, and five rockets at Eshkol.
Al-Asifah, a military wing of Fatah, also claimed responsibility for targeting Ashkelon with three missiles.
Four weeks of bloodshed between Israel and Hamas killed 1,890 Palestinians, and 67 people on the Israeli side, almost all soldiers.
UN figures indicate that 73 percent of the Palestinian victims -- or 1,354 people -- were civilians. Of that number, at least 429 were children.
Speaking in Jerusalem after a visit to Gaza, Red Cross chief Peter Maurer said he was "deeply distressed and shocked" at the impact of violence, saying the scale of the civilian losses must not happen again.
And he suggested there may have been humanitarian law violations.
But Netanyahu stressed to Maurer that "every one of these civilian deaths is a tragedy" while blaming Hamas of "both targeting civilians and hiding behind civilians".
Islamic Jihad blames Israel for ceasefire failure
Islamic Jihad's military wing on Friday blamed Israel for the breakdown of a ceasefire agreement which end on Friday.
The al-Quds Brigades said Israel "ended the temporary ceasefire by not accepting Palestinian demands."
Demands Israel Has Accepted, And Rejected
The following is a list of Palestinian demands presented to Israel by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, during indirect talks held in Egypt between Israeli and Palestinians teams, as published by al-Watan News:
1. Israel totally rejects establishing either a Seaport or an Airport in the Gaza Strip.
2. Totally rejects the release of all detainees who were released under the Shalit Prisoner Swap Deal, and rearrested by Israel.
3. Israel “reserves the right” to act against the tunnels in Gaza.
4. Israel “reserves the right” to conduct targeted killings.
5. Agrees to consider the Rafah Border Terminal as an Egyptian-Palestinian issue.
6. Agrees to release the fourth phase of veteran detainees “as a goodwill gesture toward president Mahmoud Abbas.”
7. Agrees to extend the Palestinian fishing zone in Gaza territorial waters.
8. Agrees to allow the transfer of money for paying salaries in the Gaza Strip.
9. Agrees to ease restrictions on Palestinians crossing the Erez terminal, will not relax restrictions on goods.
10. Agrees to the entry of construction equipment, but only under international supervision.
Just before the 72-hour ceasefire ended on Friday morning, Israeli sources said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to remain ready for any possible escalation.
When the came to an end the resistance fired a missile into the Nahal 'Oz military base, across the border and the army bombarded several areas in the Gaza Strip.
Armed groups also fired shells into Asqalan (Ashkelon) and a number of areas.
|Related: Al-Qassam: “No Ceasefire Without Adhering To Our Legitimate Demands”
Hamas: Israel has refused to respond to ceasefire offer
Hamas on Thursday evening said that Israel had still not replied to its ceasefire offer and threatened that there would be an "escalation" in hostilities if Israel failed to do so, just over twelve hours before a three-day ceasefire was set to expire at 8 a.m. on Friday.
The statements came after US President Barack Obama appeared to support Hamas' demands for an end to the siege earlier in the day by saying that Gaza could not be isolated forever, while Israel refused to budge, leaving the threat of a return to hostilities Friday morning looming.
Sources privy to the Cairo ceasefire talks, however, told Ma'an that a meeting would be held around 10:30 Thursday night between the Palestinian delegation and the Egyptian intelligence minister to give Palestinians the Israeli response to their demands.
The Israeli delegation had met with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon before returning to Egypt Thursday night.
Sources said that there might be an inclination to extend the ceasefire for a further 72 hours for attempts to reach a lasting ceasefire to continue.
Thousands rallied in the streets of Gaza City earlier on Thursday in support of the Palestinian delegation currently in Cairo trying to negotiate a long-term ceasefire with Israel.
Marches called for by Hamas set off from different mosques across the Gaza Strip heading to the Palestinian Legislative Council, the equivalent of the parliament, while speakers urged the talks delegation to ensure that Gazans' "rights" were guaranteed.
"We are here today united to show that we support the Palestinian delegation in Cairo," Hamas member of parliament Mushir al-Masri said, adding: "We tell them to not return unless our conditions and demands have been accepted."
"We have won the military battle and with the permission of God we'll win the political battle," he said during the rally.
Abu Ubaida, the spokesman of the Hamas-affiliated al-Qassam Brigades, said in a televised address Thursday night that the military wing had given the political leadership "the opportunity to negotiate to stop Israel from hurting our people," but insisted that there would be no ceasefire unless Israel agreed to end the siege.
Hamas has insisted that Israel end its eight-year siege on the Gaza Strip, release dozens of prisoners whom Israel has re-arrested that were released in 2011 as part of the Shalit exchange, the re-opening of a seaport and airport in Gaza, and the creation of a safe passage between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Al-Masri pointed out that the demands of Palestinians are their "rights," calling upon Egypt and the Arab World to stand behind them in these demands.
At the same time, al-Masri stressed that if Israel failed to respond and give Palestinians their rights, Hamas was prepared to continue fighting.
"Fighters still have their fingers on the trigger and their missiles targeted towards Israeli cities," he said.
"If Netanyahu does not accept our demands, you will not return to your homes," he added in a pointed statement to the residents of Israeli cities near the Gaza border that have been subjected to Palestinian rocket fire.
Hamas' demands are consistent with the terms of the Oslo Accords signed between Israel and the Palestinians in the 1990s, but which Israel has failed to abide by amid its refusal to consider direct negotiations of any kind with Hamas, which it considers a terrorist group.
Israel, meanwhile, has said that they would be willing to extend the ceasefire indefinitely but have also stressed that a long-term agreement should include the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. Hamas has scoffed at this demand, pointing out that it was Hamas fighters that had prevented the full-scale infiltration and re-occupation of Gaza by Israeli forces in recent days.
Before the ceasefire, Israeli forces pulled out of major Gaza cities and redeployed hundreds of meters inside the border, although air strikes and shelling on Gazan cities continued.
More than 1,886 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 10,000 injured in the month-long conflict. Figures released by UNICEF, the UN children's fund, indicate that 73 percent of the victims - or 1,354 people - were civilians.
Of that number, at least 429 were children -- around 30 percent of the civilian casualties.
67 Israelis -- 95 percent of whom have been soldiers -- have also died.
On Thursday, US President Barack Obama put pressure on intensive ceasefire negotiations in Cairo by saying Gaza could not remain cut off from the world forever.
Britain, France and Germany have put forward an initiative that could bring EU representatives to the Gaza border, a diplomatic source said.
With the ceasefire due to end at 8 a.m. on Friday, Egypt's intelligence chief Mohamed Farid Tohamy was holding a new round of talks with the parties on Thursday afternoon, with the focus on extending the deadline.
But the Israeli delegation was headed back home on Thursday afternoon, an official told AFP. It was not clear whether they would return to Cairo later in the day.
Israel has said it would be prepared to prolong the ceasefire "unconditionally."
But Hamas said agreement had still not been reached to extend the calm which went into force on Tuesday.
"There is no agreement to extend the ceasefire," Hamas' exiled deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzouq wrote on Twitter.
With the guns silent, some semblance of normal life had returned to Gaza over the last three days with traffic clogging the streets and people bustling about their business as shops, banks and markets resume business.
In some areas, there are scenes of utter devastation, with certain districts reduced to an endless sea of rubble and shattered hulks of buildings, an AFP correspondent said.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that Gaza would be rebuilt -- but hopefully for the last time, as international patience showed signs of wearing thin.
"The senseless cycle of suffering in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as in Israel, must end," he said.
"Do we have to continue like this -- build, destroy, and build and destroy?
"We will build again but this must be the last time -- to rebuild. This must stop now."
Gaza must be opened
Ahead of Thursday's talks, Obama insisted that Gaza could not remain forever cut off by Israel's blockade, now in its eighth year.
"Long-term, there has to be a recognition that Gaza cannot sustain itself permanently closed off from the world," Obama told a news conference in Washington, saying the Palestinians needed to see "some prospects for an opening of Gaza so that they do not feel walled off."
Lifting the blockade is the main Palestinian demand in the ceasefire talks in Cairo.
Although Israel has expressed willingness to extend the truce indefinitely, there was no immediate word on its response to that.
"Today will be a crucial day," a member of the Palestinian delegation told AFP.
If a truce extension was proposed "we will think about it .. and that depends on how negotiations proceed today."
Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon sounded a cautious note, saying it was not clear where the talks would lead.
"I'm not sure what the outcome will be of the current discussions in Egypt," he said.
EU force at Rafah?
London, Paris and Berlin tabled an initiative offering an outline for rebuilding Gaza while ensuring Israel's security concerns were properly addressed, a diplomatic source said.
The proposal aims to strengthen the hand of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority while clamping down on Gaza-based militant groups.
It proposes Abbas' security forces take control of border security in Gaza in conjunction with EU representatives and outlines a mechanism for preventing the rearming of militant groups or the construction of new tunnels.
It also envisages opening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt then eventually opening other crossings to Israel. It also refers to the opening of a commercial port in Gaza, the source said.
Netanyahu on Wednesday said Abbas's Palestinian Authority had an "important" role to play in Gaza, particularly in the reconstruction efforts.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called for EU "inspectors" to monitor Gaza's borders, Germany's mass-circulation Bild daily reported on Thursday.
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