This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-28857012

The article has changed 13 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Gaza conflict: Israel launches strikes after rocket fire Gaza conflict: Israel launches strikes after rocket fire
(about 1 hour later)
Israel's military says it has carried out air strikes in the Gaza Strip in response to fresh rocket fire, hours before a ceasefire was set to expire.Israel's military says it has carried out air strikes in the Gaza Strip in response to fresh rocket fire, hours before a ceasefire was set to expire.
"Terror targets" were hit after three rockets were fired towards the towns of Beersheba and Netivot, officials said. "Terror targets" were hit in Gaza after rockets were fired towards the towns of Beersheba and Netivot, officials said.
A five-day ceasefire was extended for 24 hours at midnight while delegations from both sides tried to negotiate a deal to end weeks of fighting. The violence came with seven hours remaining of the ceasefire extension agreed to allow both sides to negotiate a deal to end weeks of fighting.
More than 2,080 people, most of them Palestinians, have died since 8 July.More than 2,080 people, most of them Palestinians, have died since 8 July.
"This rocket attack was a grave and direct violation of the ceasefire," said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
'No progress''No progress'
There was no immediate claim of responsibility from any of the Palestinian factions in Gaza, which is dominated by the Islamist movement Hamas. Israeli officials said the first three rockets landed in open fields near Beersheba, causing no injuries. Two were later intercepted over Netivot.
But shortly beforehand Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum had warned: "If Netanyahu doesn't understand... the language of politics in Cairo, we know how to make him understand." "This rocket attack was a grave and direct violation of the ceasefire," said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A senior Israeli official told the BBC that the Israeli delegation had been instructed to leave the indirect talks and return to Israel after the attack. Witnesses in Gaza reported several Israeli air strikes, from Beit Lahiya in the north to Rafah in the south. Hospital officials told the Reuters news agency that two children were wounded.
A senior member of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement earlier said there had been "no progress on any point" in the negotiations and that the "circle of violence" might continue. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from any of the Palestinian factions in Gaza, which is dominated by Hamas.
Palestinian negotiators said Israel was seeking guarantees that Hamas and other factions in Gaza would be disarmed, while the Palestinians were demanding an end to the Israeli and Egyptian blockades of Gaza. Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the Islamist movement, told the BBC that it "had no idea or information about the firing of any rockets".
Hamas has stated that it will not give up its weapons, while Israel has said it needs to maintain some control over Gaza's crossings to prevent the smuggling of weapons. However, another Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, had earlier warned: "If [Prime Minister Benjamin]Netanyahu doesn't understand... the language of politics in Cairo, we know how to make him understand."
The Israeli delegation has reportedly been instructed to leave the indirect talks and return home.
"The Cairo process was based on the premise of a total ceasefire," one Israeli official said.
Analysis: Sally Nabil, BBC News, Cairo
The negotiations in Cairo have reached deadlock and the Israelis have pulled out after the 24-hour truce was breached.
The picture was bleak even before the fighting resumed, and there was not much optimism among the members of the Palestinian delegation.
The gaps between the two parties were too wide to bridge.
The Egyptian mediators had tried to work on getting the blockade of Gaza eased without asking Hamas to lay down its weapons, a key Israeli demand.
They were keen to delay discussing the more thorny issues, like the construction of a seaport and airport in Gaza. But even that plan did not bear fruit.
Before the latest violence, a senior member of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement, Azzam al-Ahmad, told Reuters that there had been "no progress on any point" in the negotiations, with big gaps remaining between the two sides.
Palestinian representatives said Israel was seeking guarantees that Hamas and other factions in Gaza would be disarmed, while the Palestinians were demanding an end to the Israeli and Egyptian blockades of Gaza, and the establishment of a seaport and airport.
Hamas insists it will not give up its weapons, while Israel wants to maintain some control over Gaza's crossings to prevent arms smuggling.
The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Jerusalem says much now depends on whether this latest exchange of violence is an isolated breach of the ceasefire, or a signal that it is over.
Israel launched an offensive on Gaza, "Operation Protective Edge", on 8 July with the aim of ending rocket fire. It also sought to destroy tunnels dug under the frontier with Israel used by militants to launch attacks.Israel launched an offensive on Gaza, "Operation Protective Edge", on 8 July with the aim of ending rocket fire. It also sought to destroy tunnels dug under the frontier with Israel used by militants to launch attacks.
The Palestinian health ministry says that 2,016 Palestinians have been killed since it began, including 541 children and 250 women. The Palestinian health ministry says that 2,016 Palestinians have been killed since the offensive began, including 541 children and 250 women.
The Israeli authorities say 64 Israeli soldiers have been killed, along with two Israeli civilians and a Thai national.The Israeli authorities say 64 Israeli soldiers have been killed, along with two Israeli civilians and a Thai national.
Are you in Israel or Gaza? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk, including your contact details and using the heading 'Israel Gaza'.