UPDATE 1330 GMT: Israel’s unilateral ceasefire has been withdrawn and replaced by airstrikes after a few hours.

Responding to continued rocket fire from Gaza, including by Hamas’s military branch, Israel resumed attacks throughout the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said just before the resumption, “Hamas’s rejection of the cease fire gives Israel full legitimacy to expand the operation to protect our people.”

The Israelis were bolstered by the reaction of US Secretary of State John Kerry in Vienna:

I cannot condemn strongly enough the actions of Hamas in so brazenly firing rockets in multiple numbers in the face of a goodwill effort to offer ceasefire.

It is important for Hamas not to be provoking and purposefully trying to play politics in order to gain greater followers for it opposition, and use the innocent lives of civilians who may hide in buildings and use as shields and put in danger. That is against the laws of war. That is why they are a terrorist organisation.


Hamas has turned down an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire with Israel, in a process which would have begun at 9 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) on Tuesday.

Spokesman Fawzi Barhum said, “In times of war, you don’t cease fire and then negotiate.”

He said that Hamas had not received any official proposal, and that an Israeli cessation of hostilities “on one side” would have “no value” after its airstrikes had killed almost 200 Palestinians and wounded more than 1,400.

Hamas’ military branch, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said, “Our battle with the enemy continues and will increase in ferocity and intensity.” It said it had not been consulted about a possible ceasefire.

However, at least one senior Hamas official, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said a cessation of hostilities was still being considered:

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the Egyptian initiative.

This morning the Israeli Security Cabinet accepted the proposal, minutes before it was to come into effect, despite the opposition of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “If Hamas will not accept the cease-fire, we will intensify the attacks against it.”

The proposal set out a 12-hour “de-escalation”, followed by a complete cease-fire. High-level delegations from Israel, Hamas, and the Palestinian Authority would convene within 48 hours for talks — in separate discussions with Israeli and Palestinian delegations — on “the consolidation of the ceasefire and resumption of confidence-building measures between the two sides”.

A cease-fire after Israeli airstrikes in November 2012 set out a similar process, but there was little progress in discussions. Hamas is seeking an end to the Israeli blockade on Gaza and the release of Palestinian detainees.

Israeli airstrikes have continued this morning and several Israelis have been wounded in Eilat by a Gaza-launched rocket.

Twenty-four Gazans were killed on Monday and early Tuesday, bringing the death toll in a week of airstrikes to 194. More than 75% of the dead are civilians, and more than 25% are children.

Four Israelis have been wounded by more than 800 rockets fired at Israel from Gaza.