Gaza fighters fired a barrage of rockets at Israel on Friday as Palestinian factions at talks in Cairo refused to extend a 72-hour ceasefire in the devastating month-long conflict.
But negotiations for a new truce were still ongoing in the Egyptian capital, as residents in southern Israel took shelter from the rockets and Gazans were fleeing their homes in fear of Israeli retribution.
The Israeli army said at least 10 rockets had targeted the south of the country, with one intercepted over the coastal city of Ashkelon. Police said they caused no harm or damage.
The projectiles were fired shortly after 0500 GMT, when the 72-hour ceasefire in four weeks of fighting in and around Gaza reached its end after Palestinian factions refused to extend it.
"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 told AFP.
A Palestinian official said Gaza's de facto rulers Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, a smaller faction also at the Egypt-led talks, had agreed a ceasefire but then there was an alteration in wording of an agreement regarding the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
The official said members of the Palestinian delegation to the talks, which is led by a representative of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, would meet after noon to assess their stance.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had no immediate comment on the latest developments, but a member of his cabinet warned of a "harsh" reaction to the rocket fire.
"Israel must immediately return its delegation from Egypt, we cannot hold talks under threat -- the firing at Israeli civilians as a pressure means," said Bennett, a member of the security cabinet.
"This is a test for Israeli deterrence, the reaction must be harsh."
But despite the warning, there was no immediate Israeli retaliation in Gaza, an AFP correspondent and witnesses said, reporting that thousands of residents of eastern Gaza City were fleeing their homes in fear of attacks.
Israeli 'procrastination'
Prior to the truce deadline, two senior Hamas officials told AFP their military wing would not extend the ceasefire, accusing Israel of rejecting their demands. This was confirmed by a leader of the Islamic Jihad.
A short while before that, two rockets from Gaza had hit southern Israel, the army said.
Israel had said earlier that it was ready to "indefinitely" extend the ceasefire.
A senior Palestinian official accused Israel of procrastinating, warning it could lead to a resumption of the fighting when the deadline runs out.
"The Israeli delegation is proposing extending the ceasefire while refusing a number of the Palestinian demands," he said, without elaborating.
Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, has warned that fighting would resume if their demands were not met, first and foremost to open a sea port to the blockaded Palestinian enclave.
Four weeks of bloodshed between Israel and Hamas killed 1,890 Palestinians, and 67 people on the Israeli side, almost all soldiers.
UN figures indicate that 73 percent of the Palestinian victims -- or 1,354 people -- were civilians. Of that number, at least 429 were children.
Hamas and Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) officials laid out a number of demands, starting with the lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade on Gaza.
They also want the release of around 125 key prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Despite the withdrawal of all its troops from Gaza by the time the three-day truce began on Tuesday, Israel has retained forces along the border who are ready to respond to any resumption of fighting.
Speaking in Jerusalem after a visit to Gaza, Red Cross chief Peter Maurer said he was "deeply distressed and shocked" at the impact of violence, saying the scale of the civilian losses must not happen again.
And he suggested there may have been humanitarian law violations.
But Netanyahu stressed to Maurer that "every one of these civilian deaths is a tragedy" while blaming Hamas of "both targeting civilians and hiding behind civilians".
'Open Gaza'
US President Barack Obama upped the pressure on the talks by saying Gaza could not remain forever cut off by Israel's blockade which has been in place since 2006.
"Long-term, there has to be a recognition that Gaza cannot sustain itself permanently closed off from the world," he said, adding the Palestinians needed to see "some prospects for an opening of Gaza so that they do not feel walled off".
The conflict has left parts of Gaza utterly devastated, with certain districts reduced to a sea of rubble.
In response, London, Paris and Berlin submitted an initiative to rebuild Gaza while ensuring Israel's security concerns are properly addressed, a diplomatic source said.
The proposal aims to strengthen the hand of Abbas and his Palestinian Authority while clamping down on Gaza fighters.
It also envisages opening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, then eventually opening other crossings to Israel. It also refers to the opening of a commercial port in Gaza.
AFP
Fri Aug 08 2014
Residents in Gaza City use a horse drawn carriage to transport some of their belongings. - AFP Photo/Roberto Schmidt
Leftenan Muda Min Youn satu-satunya penuntut bangsa Cina tamat latihan Komando GGK 2024
Min Youn yang berasal dari Setapak, Kuala Lumpur itu merupakan graduan perakaunan daripada Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR).
Seorang maut, nahas dua kereta di Ipoh
Kemalangan melibatkan dua buah kereta iaitu jenis Honda City dan Peugeot.
Play Store kini benarkan muat turun dua aplikasi serentak
Berdasarkan laporan 9to5Google, ciri ini diberikan secara berperingkat kepada pengguna Android bermula dengan peranti\
Che'gu Bard mengaku tidak bersalah dua pertuduhan
Badrul Hisham mengaku tidak bersalah, selepas semua pertuduhan dibaca di hadapan Hakim, Siti Aminah Ghazali.
Tahanan PPA tekad jadikan kemahiran dalam “tirai besi” sebagai mata pencarian
Kehidupan di dalam tirai besi memberikan keinsafan kepada Fifi, Apit dan Bulat.
Ringgit susut berbanding dolar AS pada sesi awal
Pada 9 pagi, ringgit merosot kepada 4.7715/7810 berbanding mata wang Amerika Syarikat (AS) daripada 4.7650/7710 pada Jumaat.
Guna semula bangunan pawagam lama, bangkit suasana klasik
Ia bukan sahaja mampu menarik ramai pelancong tetapi juga mampu memulihara bangunan warisan yang masih elok dan ditatap oleh generasi kini.
Mesyuarat Khas WEF: PM Anwar jumpa 50 pemimpin industri, perniagaan global
PM yakin lebih banyak pelabur bernilai tinggi akan pilih Malaysia sebagai destinasi pelaburan.
Dipaksa bersalin normal, kepala bayi songsang terputus
Bahagian kemaluannya juga terkoyak teruk dan dijahit sebarangan oleh staf Rumah Sakit Banjarmasin.
AWANI Ringkas: Tangani isu ketidaksamaan & marginalisasi
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Israel lancar serangan udara ke atas Semenanjung Gaza
Ketegangan di Semenanjung Gaza berterusan selepas Israel melancarkan serangan udara ke atas wilayah dikuasai Hamas pada awal pagi Ahad.
Roket Gaza dilancar, Benjamin Netanyahu berhenti berkempen
Pihak berkuasa Israel mengesahkan roket berkenaan berjaya dipintas oleh sistem pertahanan.
Pejuang bedil roket ke Israel sejurus gencatan Gaza berakhir
Pejuang di Semenanjung Gaza melepaskan tembakan roket ke Israel sejurus selepas gencatan senjata 72 jam di antara Hamas dan negara Yahudi itu berakhir tanpa perjanjian untuk memanjangkannya.