TEL AVIV, August 13 (RIA Novosti) - Palestinian militants resumed firing and carried out an airstrike against Israel, two hours before the 72-hour ceasefire observed by both sides of the conflict was set to expire, Israel Defense Forces said.
“Gaza terrorists have breached the ceasefire & launched a rocket at Israel, hitting the Hof Ashkelon regional council,” IDF tweeted late Wednesday.
No victims or damage have been reported so far.
The 72-hour ceasefire provided for indirect dialogue held in Cairo with the help of Egyptian mediators. The delegations sought to strike a deal in Cairo to extend a humanitarian truce in Gaza as the current three-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas militants was due to expire at 21:00 GMT Wednesday.
On July 8, Israel launched an offensive against the Hamas movement in response to the military group’s rocket attacks. On July 17, the Israeli switched to a ground offensive to destroy the network of Hamas tunnels along the Gaza border with western Israel.
Around 1,900 people have lost their lives in Gaza, the majority of whom are civilians. Sixty-four Israeli soldiers have died since the operation Protective Edge was announced by Tel Aviv, with further three civilians killed in Israel, including a Thai national.
