Gaza LIVE: Israeli jets first to strike soon after the end of ceasefire truce

Zee Media Bureau/Supriya Jha and Himanshu Kapoor

The strike in Beit Lahiya hit an open area, causing no injuries, and came after the end of a UN-negotiated truce that Israel and Hamas accused each other of having violated, as per an agency report.

Soon after the five-hour ceasefire truce ended, Israeli warplanes were first to strike northern Gaza on Thursday afternoon, according to witnesses.

Israeli Prime Minister said that while Israel agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, Hamas terrorists attempted to launch a strategic attack.

The new ceasefire will come into effect from 0300 GMT Friday, an Israeli official told the BBC.

Even as Hamas failed to maintain a ceasefire of as short a duration as five hours, a fresh ceasefire is said to have been agreed by both warring sides, reported the BBC.

Israeli Defence Forces say that while they maintained the truce by holding off fire, Hamas terrorists fired 3 mortars that hit the Israeli community of Eshkol.

While we held our fire, Hamas terrorists fired 3 mortars that hit the Israeli community of Eshkol minutes ago.

— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) July 17, 2014

Gaza is said to have broken the brief 5-hour ceasfire as Israeli police says that two rockets have been fired during the humanitarian truce that was requested by the UN, reported a news agency.

IDF says Hamas tried opening of tunnel inside Israeli territory, and that they were planning to use the tunnel to attack the civilians.

Even as a ceasefire proposed by Egypt failed to hold last Tuesday, Israeli and and Hamas representatives were said to be staying in a hotel in Cairo for ceaseefire talks, reported the Jerusalem Post, citing an Egyptian daily.

Some of the demands made by Hamas include the opening of all crossings on the Gaza-Israel border, the permanent opening of the Rafah crossing, permitting maritime access to Gaza, permitting Gaza residents to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque, etc, reported an Egyptian daily.

Accoding to an Egyptian daily, Egypt was conveying to Israel the demands put forth by Hamas for a long-term ceasefire.

Israel-Gaza 5-hour ceasefire comes into effect. Israel says they are holding fire until 3 PM today in order to enable a humanitarian window in Gaza.

We are holding our fire until 3 PM today in order to enable a humanitarian window in Gaza. If Hamas fires, we will respond with force.

— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) July 17, 2014

Just an hour and a quarter before the ceasefire is to go into effect, Hamas fired fresh salvos of rockets at the Sharon region north of Tel Aviv, reported the Haaretz.

Israel said that one Hamas rocket was intercepted and one hit the area of Petach Tikvah.

Reinforcing Israel`s intention of reoccupying Gaza nine years after its troops unilaterally withdrew in 2005, Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman yesterday said that the Operation Protective Edge must “go all the way” until Israel was in complete control of the Gaza Strip.

Despite the short truce agreed by the warring sides, there are reports that there is a high possibility of Israel invading Gaza again, reported the New York Times citing a military official.

Israeli Defence Forces say they thwarted 13 Hamas terrorists who tried to infiltrate Israel and planned to attack civilians living in an Israeli kibbutz.

The 13 Hamas terrorists who infiltrated Israel today planned to attack civilians living in an Israeli kibbutz. We stopped them.— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) July 17, 2014

On the behest of the United Nations, Israel and Hamas agreed to observe a 5-hour humanitarian ceasefire on Thursday to allow the Palestinian civilians to replenish their stocks of food and other necessary items. The five-hour humanitarian window comes after four children were killed in an Israeli airstrike while playing at a Gaza beach. In a statement, the Israeli Army said that it was `tragic` and that it was investigating the firing which was aimed to attack Hamas terrorists.

The Israeli Army said that it was holding off fire for a 5-hour duration (10:00 to 15:00) after talks with the UN.

As a result of dialogue between the IDF and the UN, we will enable a humanitarian window in Gaza tomorrow between 10:00 and 15:00.— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) July 16, 2014

Hamas too, agreed to observe the ceasefire for the said duration, according to the BBC. However, Israeli military warned that if Hamas broke the truce, the IDF will respond. “If Hamas fires rockets at Israel during the humanitarian window, the IDF will respond with force.” The IDF further cautioned that after the five-hous window ends, the Gazan residents from “Beit Lahyia, Shuja`iya & Zeitoun should not return to their homes for their own safety”. Referring to the death of four innocent Gazan children in a strike at the beach, the Israeli Army said that it considered it a “tragic outcome”, unlike Hamas which “considers every Israeli civilian death an accomplishment”.

We consider every Palestinian civilian death a tragedy. Hamas considers every Israeli civilian death an accomplishment.

— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) July 16, 2014

Israel launched Operation Protective Edge on 8 July, aiming to halt the Hamas from firinf salvos of rockets on Israel. Israel says that since then, the hamas has fired more than 1300 rockets, and in turn Israel has targeted more than 1500 targets in Gaza. Gaza officials peg the death toll at 220, while Israel reported its first and the only fatality on late Tuesday.