• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Gaza Fighting Resumes After Talks Founder

by VOA News August 09, 2014

Israel reportedly said on Saturday it would not attend Egyptian-hosted negotiations for a new truce in Gaza.

Fighting between Israel's military and Hamas continued Saturday along the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian health officials said at least 10 Palestinians are dead.

Hamas fighters in Gaza fired rockets across the border, sending residents of southern Israel running for bomb shelters. Israeli military sources said Israeli warplanes hit mosques, weapons depots and training facilities in Gaza.

The fighting which resumed Friday after a three-day pause in the month-long war dealt a blow to Egyptian-led efforts to secure a long-term cease-fire between the bitter enemies.

​​Israel pounded Gaza with a series of airstrikes Friday shortly after Hamas resumed rocket attacks against Israel when talks in Cairo broke down on extending the truce.

The Israeli military charged that Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip violated the 72-hour cease-fire hours before it was scheduled to expire on Friday morning.

An Israeli government spokesman said Hamas fighters have been indiscriminately targeting civilians.

"Hamas has indiscriminately targeted men, women and children. And in so doing, Hamas has not only shown its total disregard for Israeli life, but has shown it has no qualms whatsoever about once again endangering and bringing tragedy upon the civilian population of Gaza," said Regev.

Sixty-four Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed in the fighting. Most of the Israeli casualties occurred during a ground invasion by Israeli troops to destroy Hamas' cross-border tunnels.

More than 1,900 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed.

Hamas says it will not stop fighting until Israel lifts its seven-year blockade of Gaza. Israel says it will end the blockade only after Gaza is de-militarized, a condition Hamas rejects.

Hamas denied firing rockets first. It said Israel failed to meet its demands at cease-fire talks in Cairo, namely the lifting of a crippling blockade on Gaza and construction of a seaport. Hamas spokesman Hussam Badran says now the group is playing by different rules.

Badran says Hamas is negotiating with a finger on the trigger, and will not raise the white flag.

Israel has categorically rejected Hamas's demand for a seaport, saying it will not allow Gaza to be flooded with weapons. Israeli officials also say they will not negotiate under fire.

The Israeli blockade of Gaza has choked the Gazan economy and kept Palestinians from traveling.

U.S. President Barack Obama says Gaza cannot sustain itself and is not capable of providing jobs and economic growth. He says the territory cannot remain permanently closed off from the world.

Robert Berger contributed to this report from Jerusalem.