Hamas, Israel Back To Battling In Gaza Strip Sunday

Israel-Gaza Border-July 27, 2014 — Israeli soldiers ride atop a tank near the border with Gaza Sunday. The Israeli military began fighting again in the Gaza Strip, saying Hamas militants had ignored a 24-hour, humanitarian cease-fire requested by the United Nations. Reuters/Siegfried Modola

The abbreviated cease-fire period between Hamas and Israel is over, with both sides back to battling in the Gaza Strip Sunday. First Hamas resumed its rocket attacks on Israeli targets, and then Israel resumed its multifaceted offensive in the Palestinian territory.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the resumption of hostilities via Twitter:

Due to Hamas' incessant rocket fire during the humanitarian window, we are renewing our aerial, naval and ground activity in Gaza.
- IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) July 27, 2014

Previously, Israel had accepted and Hamas had rejected a United Nations request for a cease-fire agreement covering a longer period than the 12-hour humanitarian pause Saturday. That agreement had been broadly observed, as noted by a representative of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

According to Haaretz, a daily newspaper based in Tel Aviv, more than 1,000 Palestinians and 46 Israelis have been killed during the first 20 days of the IDF’s so-called Operation Protective Edge, which was launched in response to Hamas rocket attacks on Israel’s territory.

The Palestinian Ma’an News Agency, headquartered in Bethlehem, reported similar casualty figures Sunday.

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