Hamas, Israel Resume Attacks As Gaza Cease-Fire Ends Without A Lasting Deal

Update as of 7:50 a.m. EDT: Israeli air strikes killed a 10-year-old child in Gaza City and injured at least 11 other Palestinians in Zaitoun district in the city's south, Agence France-Presse reported. Two Israelis have also been reportedly injured after rockets fired from Gaza struck the Sdot Negev regional council near the Gaza border.

Update as of 4:20 a.m. EDT: The Israeli military has resumed air strikes in Gaza “in response to” Hamas rocket fire. According to Al Jazeera, civilian casualties are already being reported in an air strike in North Gaza.

A three-day cease-fire in the Gaza Strip ended Friday morning as indirect talks between the Palestinian delegation and Israel fell through in Cairo.

Just a few minutes after the cease-fire ended at 8:00 a.m. local time (1:00 a.m. EDT), the Israeli military reported that a barrage of rockets fired by Hamas was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system.

The Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, said that it had not responded to the rocket fire yet and alleged that Hamas had started firing rockets even before the cease-fire deadline had passed.

Earlier on Friday, senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials said they would not extend the cease-fire and accused Israel of rejecting their demands, Al Jazeera reported. The al-Qassam brigade, which is the military wing of Hamas, had said on Thursday that it was ready to resume fighting.

“All the Palestinian factions, including Hamas, have agreed not to renew the ceasefire because Israel is refusing to accommodate our demands, but negotiations continue in Cairo," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP on Friday.

Israel had reportedly agreed to extend the 72-hour cease-fire indefinitely. However, Palestinian envoys to Cairo, including Hamas, insisted that their demands be met before the extension of the truce.

Hamas has demanded that, in exchange for a cease-fire extension, Israel lift its blockade of Gaza, open all border crossings and ports, and release all imprisoned Hamas leaders. Israel, which has called for an immediate de-militarization of Hamas, has reportedly rejected these demands.

Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse reported that thousands of Palestinians in and around Gaza City were fleeing their homes in fear of an Israeli attack.

Over four weeks of military assault on Gaza has claimed over 1,800 Palestinian lives, according to media reports. United Nations figures indicate that over 70 percent of Palestinian victims were civilians, including over 400 children. On the Israeli side, 64 soldiers and three civilians have been killed.