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As of approx 04 hrs GMT the ceasefire in Gaza is officially over
Retweeted by Robin Westenra
#Gaza ceasefire is now officially over. #Israel said it would agree to an extension. No official word on #Hamas' position or that of #PIJ.
Retweeted by Robin Westenra
URGENT: Reports of rocket attacks on south #Israel from #Gaza as ceasefire over - via @harryfear http://on.rt.com/13u57f
Retweeted by Robin Westenra
'Several rockets' fired from #Gaza toward south #Israel since the top of the hour, report Palestinian sources.
Hamas
rejects Gaza ceasefire extension
The Palestinian militant organisation Hamas has rejected any extension of the three-day ceasefire in Gaza, which expired on Friday morning.
BBC,
8
August, 2014
It
said that Israel had failed to meet its demands. Key among these is
the re-opening of Gaza Harbour to shipping.
Two
rockets fired from Gaza hit southern Israel three hours before the
three-day ceasefire was due to expire, the Israel Defense Forces
(IDF) said.
The
IDF accused "terrorists" of violating the ceasefire.
The
rockets fell on open ground and caused no casualties, the Israeli
army said early on Friday.
Hamas
has denied firing them.
A
Hamas military wing spokesman earlier called on Palestinian
negotiators holding indirect talks with Israeli neogtiators in Cairo
to refuse any ceasefire extension unless its long-term demands were
met.
The
spokesman said his organisation was ready for "a long war".
"Many
here expect the talks to end and fighting to resume", as Orla
Guerin reports from Gaza
Israeli
officials said earlier that they were willing to extend the ceasefire
before it expired at 05:00 GMT on Friday.
But
Hamas, which controls Gaza, says there was a big gap between the
sides' positions.
Four
weeks of fierce fighting between Israeli forces and militants in Gaza
claimed more than 1,900 lives.
'Stabilise'
Egyptian
officials, who brokered the 72-hour ceasefire that began on Tuesday,
were working against the clock on Thursday to persuade both sides to
agree a long-term deal.
Israeli
troops have taken up "defensive positions" outside the Gaza
Strip
"Egypt's
aims are to stabilise and extend the truce with the agreement of both
sides and to begin negotiations towards a permanent agreement to
cease fire and ease border restrictions," an Egyptian official
told Reuters news agency.
On
Wednesday, Israeli officials said they had expressed their readiness
to "extend the truce under its current terms". But the
deputy political leader of Hamas, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said: "There
is no agreement."
Hamas
had been reiterating its calls for the lifting of the blockade of
Gaza, the release of prisoners and the end of the Israeli offensive.
Life
almost returned to normal for some people in Gaza during the truce
The
Israelis, for their part, were sticking firm to their main demand -
the demilitarisation of Gaza. But the BBC's Sally Nabil in Cairo says
that this was met with a big "no" from all the Palestinian
factions.
Israeli
Communications Minister Gilad Erdan warned that the military would
resume operations if the ceasefire was disrupted.
Palestinian
officials say at least 1,875 people have been killed since Israel
launched Operation Protective Edge on 8 July with the aim of halting
rocket fire from militants in Gaza and destroying the network of
tunnels it said were used by militants to launch attacks inside
Israel.
The
UN says 1,354 of those who died were civilians, including 415
children and 214 women.
Israel's
government says 64 soldiers were killed, along with two Israeli
civilians and a Thai national. It also claims that about 900
Palestinian militants were killed in the fighting.
On
Thursday, the human rights group Amnesty International called for an
investigation into what it said was mounting evidence that Israeli
forces had deliberately attacked hospitals and health professionals
in Gaza. The attacks have left at least six medics dead.
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