JERUSALEM
The Israeli army said two Palestinian rockets had been intercepted over southern Israel on Tuesday.
"Two rockets were just intercepted over Netivot in southern Israel," the army said via Twitter.
Israel carried out several airstrikes across the beleaguered Gaza Strip on Tuesday, claiming the move was a response to rockets allegedly fired from the Palestinian territory despite a temporary ceasefire.
Palestinian resistance faction Hamas, for its part, denying any knowledge of the alleged rocket fire, said the latest Israeli attacks sought to undermine Egypt-hosted talks aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire.
Palestinian factions and Israel have been holding indirect negotiations in Cairo since early August aimed at reaching a permanent truce.
A five-day ceasefire expired on Monday. But the two sides agreed to extend it by 24 hours as part of Egyptian efforts aimed at reaching a permanent deal.
The ceasefire came following more than a month of devastating Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip, which have left more than 2000 Palestinians dead – the vast majority of them civilians – and more than 10,000 injured.
According to Israeli figures, at least 64 Israeli soldiers have been killed in recent ground battles with Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip – the highest military death toll for Israel of any of its three onslaughts on the territory.
Three Israeli civilians, meanwhile, have been killed by rocket fire from Gaza.
Since 2007, the Gaza Strip – home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – has reeled under a crippling Israeli blockade that has badly affected the local economy and played havoc with residents' livelihoods.
By Abdel-Raouf Arnaout
www.aa.com.tr/en
