Israeli tanks deploy near Gaza, 5-days truce agreed

Israeli tanks deploy near Gaza, 5-days truce agreed
Thu Aug 14, 2014 13:06:13

A foggy sun rose over Gaza border on Thursday, illuminating the silhouettes of Israeli tanks and troops deployed near the coastal enclave as a renewed ceasefire was agreed between Israel and the Palestinians.

The two sides renewed a truce that had largely tempered a five-week-old war, but the deal got off to a shaky start overnight on Thursday with rockets from Gaza slamming into Israel and Israel retaliating with air strikes.

The Israeli military claimed that Hamas breached the truce and fired eight rockets at Israel and that in response army forces targeted several sites across the enclave, there were no casualties reported in any of the incidents.

Hamas denied involvement in firing the rockets and accused Israel of violating the truce, extended at the last minute by another five days for the sides to work out a long term ceasefire, mediated by Egypt.

Israel had no comment on the new truce deal announced in Cairo by the Palestinians.

The halt in fighting which has killed more than 2,000 people was set to expire at midnight Wednesday. Bridging the gaps between Israel and the Palestinians in order to secure a permanent ceasefire have proven difficult.

Hamas and its allies want an end to the Israeli and Egyptian blockade on Gaza.

Members of the Palestinian delegation said they would return to Cairo on Saturday night to begin more talks on Sunday.

Israel and Hamas have not met face-to-face in Cairo.

The Israeli offensives have killed 1,945 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Most of the Palestinian dead have been civilians, hospital officials in the small, densely populated enclave say.

Israel launched its barbaric military aggressive supported by US on July 8 to put more pressure on Gazans, to expand its domination over occupied lands.

The heavy losses among civilians and the destruction of thousands of homes in Gaza - where the United Nations said 425,000 of a population of 1.8 million have been displaced by the war - have stoked international alarm, but the Western governments as well some Persian Gulf Arabian regimes have already shown their ignorance to some extents to such aggressive massacre.

Israel pulled ground forces out of Gaza last week after it said the army had completed its main mission of destroying more than 30 tunnels used by Hamas fighters.

NJF/NJF

string(912) "[{"id":"1622447","sort":"3244213","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/08/12/alalam_635434602657923560_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Children protest Israeli child-killer terror campaign in Gaza"} ,{"id":"1622518","sort":"3244214","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/08/12/alalam_635434784854654617_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"UK may suspend Israel arms exports if Gaza truce fails"} ,{"id":"1622577","sort":"3244215","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/08/13/alalam_635435207699966744_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Israel using illegal DIME weapons in Gaza: Doctors, activists"} ,{"id":"1622723","sort":"3244216","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/08/13/alalam_635435529528496225_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Al-Alam footage shows Gaza camouflaged missiles, snipers"} ,{"id":"1622845","sort":"3244217","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/08/14/alalam_635436044749647449_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Israel violates Gaza ceasefire, carries out airstrikes"} ]"