UPDATE 1845 GMT: Both the UN and US have criticized the Gazan rockets following the temporary ceasefire, while calling for a deal to end the fighting.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon condemned “the renewed rocket fire towards Israel”, saying, “More suffering and death of civilians caught up in this conflict is intolerable” and urging restraint from both sides.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest claimed that a Hamas decision to resume launches of rockets for putting Palestinians “at greater risk” and doing “nothing to meet the expectations of the Palestinian people”.
He added, “It’s our hope that the parties will agree to a ceasefire in the coming hours.”
Later, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf distanced the US from the Palestinian position, saying, “We are not in direct contact with Hamas, I cannot be more clear about that” and declaring the “maximalist demands” of the Gazan leadership.
See also How Egypt Helped Push Hamas Into War With Israel
Video Appeal: A Message to A Friend in Israel
UPDATE 1800 GMT: Medical officials say Israeli troops killed one Palestinian and wounded dozens protesting in the West Bank on Friday.
Mohammed Qatri, 19, was shot dead near Psagot, between Jerusalem and Ramallah.
In Hebron, one man was seriously injured by a live shot to the chest, while another was less seriously wounded by a mixture of live fire and rubber bullets.
The Israeli army says its soldiers were attacked by about 300 demonstrators with burning tyres, a firebomb, and rocks.
A military spokeswoman said, “The soldiers responded by firing riot disposal means.”
About 2,000 people, many waving green banners in support of Hamas, marched through Hebron. There were similar protests in Ramallah and outside the northern West Bank city of Nablus, while on the outskirts of Bethlehem the Israeli police said “hundreds” of protesters were dispersed with “riot disposal means” after they threw stones and petrol bombs at border police.
UPDATE 1600 GMT: Sami al-Zohri, the Hamas spokesmen in Cairo, has told The Guardian’s Jason Burke that “no deal is even close”.
Al-Zohri said there has been no move by Israel towards Palestinian conditions such as lifting the blockade, releasing detainees from Israeli prison, or establishing a seaport or airport.
He said the only Israeli offer was to ease access through Erez, the main border crossing, though it was an unclear whether this was a return to the pre-war status quo or a more substantial step.
Zohri also said he had no knowledge of the Egyptians over opening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Asked if Hamas has confidence in the Egyptians, he replied, “No comment.”
Despite the pessimistic summary, the spokesman said he believed a peaceful resolution is possible and the Palestinian delegation wants talks to continue.
UPDATE 1505 GMT: The UN says the Gazan death toll has risen to 1,922 with the discovery of more bodies.
Of the dead, 1,407 are believed to be civilians, including 448 children. The status of 297 fatalities is still to be determined.
About 10,000 of the estimated 46,000 pregnant women in Gaza are displaced, according to the report.
UPDATE 1425 GMT: With the renewal of Israeli attacks, the number of displaced Gazans — which had fallen from about 275,000 to about 175,000 — has risen quickly on Friday:
UNRWA shelters in #Gaza are filling up again: there are 221,554 displaced people in 89 UNRWA schools RT
— Chris Gunness (@ChrisGunness) August 8, 2014
UPDATE 1420 GMT: The head of the Palestinian delegation in Cairo has reiterated that they are committed to talks for a political resolution, despite the ending of the temporary ceasefire.
Azzam al-Ahmed said:
We will continue through our Egyptian brothers to negotiate, to reach a final agreement that would return the rights.
We’ve notified the Egyptians that we’re here, whether it’s a religious holiday for us or not because our religion does not prevent us from working to stop the bloodshed. This is our priority.
However, the commitment is not open-ended:
Azzam al-Ahmed says the Pal team is ready to stay a number of days in Egypt to negotiate, but not indefinitely. #Gaza
— Patrick Kingsley (@PatrickKingsley) August 8, 2014
UPDATE 1000 GMT: A boy in Gaza City is the first person killed by renewed Israeli attacks, according to medics.
Saw photos of the 12-year-old Ibrahim killed while playing in a mosque under construction.His skull was peeled open like a sardine tin #Gaza
— Bel Trew – بل ترو (@Beltrew) August 8, 2014
Six people were injured in the strike near mosque.
At least 11 people have been wounded in an airstrike on a house in Zaitoun, south of Gaza City.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s spokesman puts out the message:
Israel will not negotiate under fire. Israel will act to protect its citizens while making every effort not to harm civilians in Gaza.
— Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) August 8, 2014
UPDATE 0850 GMT: The Israeli Government is expected to declare Gaza as enemy territory, meaning that West Jerusalem will not have to pay compensation to Gazans for any damage from Israel’s military operations.
The resolution on the decision was posted to the website of the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday afternoon, although it was decided later that it will not be brought for a vote at the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday.
UPDATE 0845 GMT: Calling for force to demilitarize Gaza, the former head of Israel’s domestic intelligence service Shin Bet, Avi Dichter, has compared the operations to the dropping of the atomic bomb in Japan in 1945:
“
Today, 69 years ago exactly, the American leadership understood that there is no other way to end the bloody war against Japan, but with one action: dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
No, there was no phone call made in advance to the residents of the city warning them about the imminent catastrophe….
We should learn something from the process that the United States and Japan went through during that war.
UPDATE 0800 GMT: The Israel Defense Forces have resumed airstrike on Gaza, with spokeswoman Avital Liebovich announcing:
Following #Hamas unilateral break of ceasefire, and the firing of 20 rockets into #Israel, #IDF resumes targeting terror sites in #Gaza
— Avital Leibovich (@AvitalLeibovich) August 8, 2014
Photojournalist Jehad Saftawi confirms an attack:
New israeli airstrike on Al- Shekh Ejleen neighborhood south west Gaza city. #GazaUnderAttack
— Jehad Saftawi (@Jehadsaftawi) August 8, 2014
Other strikes are reported in the west and north of Gaza. No casualties are reported yet.
UPDATE 0730 GMT: Haaretz correspondent Barak Ravid reports that Israeli retaliation is likely:
BREAKING: Israeli official: PM Netanyahu & MoD Yaalon ordered IDF to retaliate strongly to Hamas's violation of the ceasefire in Gaza
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) August 8, 2014
UPDATE 0640 GMT: Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz: “Israel will respond powerfully to Hamas fire, and we will have to consider seriously the option of retaking the Gaza Strip in its entirety.”
UPDATE 0630 GMT: Hamas say they will continue to participate in talks in Egypt, despite their refusal to extend the temporary ceasefire.
Gazan fighters have fired 21 rockets into Israel as a 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza ended on Friday morning.
Soon after the expiry of the truce at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT), several rockets were launched across the border, according to Israel officials. At least three were reported to have landed near Ashkelon and three near Eshkol. Others fell in open areas or been intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, had warned on Thursday night that its operations would resume if there was no deal by Friday morning on key conditions. These included arrangements to lift the blockade on Gaza and authorization for seaports and airports for the territory.
A spokesman said, “If there is an agreement, it will be possible to extend the truce, but if there is not, we will ask the delegation to withdraw from the talks.”
So far Hamas and the Al-Qassam Brigades have not claimed the rockets fired into Israel. The Gazan faction Islamic Jihad has said that it launched three rockets towards Ashkelon.
Indirect talks in Cairo between Israel and a Palestinian coalition — including the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad — had brought no advance since Tuesday. West Jerusalem is insisting that a ceasefire agreement should only include a commitment to the demilitarization of Gaza, with other issues to be discussed later.
“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 confirmed.
The Israelis had said they were ready to extend the ceasefire. However, this morning Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel said withdraw its negotiating team from Egypt “immediately” as there can be “no talks under extortion”.
Bennett’s statement appears to have been rhetorical gloss — the Israeli delegation left Cairo at 7 a.m.
There has been on Israeli military response so far, but thousands of civilians are again fleeing their homes in Gaza City in anticipation of strikes.
Since the war began on July 8, Israeli attacks have killed 1,890 Gazans — 73% of them civilians, according to the UN. Israel has lost 64 soldiers since a ground invasion on July 17, while two Israeli civilians and a Thai worker have been killed by rockets.