Israel resumes shelling of Gaza Strip

Decision to restart bombardment comes after Hamas rejects Israeli terms for 24-hour extension of humanitarian ceasefire.

Three Palestinians have been killed in shelling after Israel ended a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, medics said.

In a statement on Sunday the Israeli military attributed its decision to resume aerial, naval and ground activity to "Hamas's incessant rocket fire throughout the humanitarian window, which was agreed upon for the civilian population in Gaza".

Smoke was seen billowing over several locations in Gaza shortly after the Israeli announcement.

The Gaza Ministry of Health said two Palestinians were killed in Nusairat refugee camp in the central area of the Strip and a third one east of Khan Younis in the south.

Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston, reporting from Gaza City, said there had been an air strike on a central part of the territory and occasional shelling from naval ships. There were also reports that eastern areas had again been hit by tank shelling and artillery.

Earlier on Sunday Palestinian fighters resumed rocket attacks into Israel, firing 20 rockets overnight and into the morning. Air-raid sirens sounded throughout southern and central Israel during morning rush hour.

At least five rockets landed in Israel and two others were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system, the Israeli military said.

The UN had asked Palestinian factions in Gaza to accept a 24-hour-long ceasefire extension, following Israel's approval to prolong the humanitarian truce for another day.

Israel said, however, that it would continue to target tunnels used by Hamas and other groups.

Hamas rejected the Israeli offer as unacceptable because it did not include a provision for the withdrawal of Israeli troops and for residents in Gaza to return to their homes.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, told Al Jazeera: "Any humanitarian ceasefire that doesn't include the complete withdrawal of its positions in the Gaza Strip, doesn’t enable the residents to go back to their homes and doesn’t allow the evacuation of the wounded, is unacceptable."

Israel's security cabinet had earlier approved extending the ceasefire, which begun early on Saturday, until midnight local time (21:00 GMT) on Sunday.

"At the request of the United Nations, the cabinet has approved a humanitarian hiatus until tomorrow [Sunday] at 24:00. The IDF [Israel Defence Forces] will act against any breach of the ceasefire," an Israeli official said in a statement.

After the ceasefire began early on Saturday, Palestinians in Gaza took advantage of the lull in fighting to retrieve their dead and stock up on food, flooding into the streets to discover scenes of massive destruction in some areas.

At least 1,052 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed and more than 6,000 injured since Israel launched its offensive on the Mediterranean enclave, home to 1.8 million Palestinians, on July 8.

Israel said five more of its soldiers were killed in pre-truce fighting in Gaza and two others died of their wounds in hospital.

Another soldier was killed by shell fire overnight, bringing the army death toll to 43.

Three civilians, including two Israeli citizens and a Thai labourer, have been killed by rockets fired from Gaza.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/07/israel-announces-resumption-gaza-shelling-201472771740681376.html

Typical propaganda trick, offer a truce on terms that you know your enemy will not accept to try and make your side look good. Israel can never look good over this. The pictures on the early morning news from Gaza had whole towns flattened, all the infrastructure (what little there was of it) decimated, and people using hammers to try and break up concrete blocks that were on tops of their mothers, fathers, sons and daughters.

Well as proven Hamas fail to comply with the ceasefire proving they care little for the Palestinians wishing to kill more of them.
How people fail to condemn this is beyond any logical or intelligent comprehension!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/10992886/Anti-Semitism-on-the-march-Europe-braces-for-violence.html

If Hamas had stopped firing rockets it could have led to more cease fires, and who knows, a complete end to the violence.

nicko wrote:If Hamas had stopped firing rockets it could have led to more cease fires, and who knows, a complete end to the violence.  

Exactly Nicko the point many miss!

Didge wrote:Well as proven Hamas fail to comply with the ceasefire proving they care little for the Palestinians wishing to kill more of them.
How people fail to condemn this is beyond any logical or intelligent comprehension!

Agreed Didge!

David wrote:

Didge wrote:Well as proven Hamas fail to comply with the ceasefire proving they care little for the Palestinians wishing to kill more of them.
How people fail to condemn this is beyond any logical or intelligent comprehension!

Agreed Didge!

Hi David


Glad you are back, hope you are well!

Didge wrote:

David wrote:
Agreed Didge!

Hi David


Glad you are back, hope you are well!

Thanks Didge  ::D::  Hope you are well too x

David wrote:

Didge wrote:


Hi David


Glad you are back, hope you are well!

Thanks Didge  ::D::  Hope you are well too x

Cheers bro.x

David wrote:

Didge wrote:Well as proven Hamas fail to comply with the ceasefire proving they care little for the Palestinians wishing to kill more of them.
How people fail to condemn this is beyond any logical or intelligent comprehension!

Agreed Didge!

Of course. Tehran is not suffering any consequences.