GAZA CITY
Palestinian resistance faction Hamas said Tuesday that fresh Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip sought to undermine Egypt-hosted negotiations aimed at reaching a durable ceasefire.
"The Israeli occupation bears full responsibility for the repercussions of the [recent] ceasefire violations," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a press release.
He went on to deny any knowledge of alleged rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on Tuesday.
The Israeli army launched several airstrikes across the beleaguered strip on Tuesday, claiming the move was a response to rockets allegedly fired from the Palestinian territory despite a temporary ceasefire.
Palestinian factions and Israel have been holding indirect negotiations in Cairo aimed at reaching a permanent truce.
A five-day ceasefire expired on Monday. But the two sides agreed to extend the truce by 24 hours as part of Egyptian efforts aimed at hammering out 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.
Palestinian casualties from the current offensive alone have surpassed the combined Palestinian death toll from two previous operations, including Israel's highly-destructive "Operation Cast Lead" in 2008/9.
In that operation, some 1500 Palestinians were killed – mostly civilians – over the course of three weeks.
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 Mustafa Haboosh
www.aa.com.tr/en
