Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned home from Washington today, earlier than planned, and immediately went to consult with military commanders after a fierce exchange of fire between the Israeli army and Hamas overnight between Monday and Tuesday.
Israeli media reports, citing an unnamed Israeli official, that no agreement on a cease-fire with Hamas has been reached and added that Netanyahu instructed the army to continue strikes on the targets of that Islamic extremist organization while he was traveling to Israel from the US capital. The official said Netanyahu, who immediately left for a briefing at army headquarters in Tel Aviv, is in constant communication with Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi and other security officials.
"There is no ceasefire agreement. It's not over," the official said, adding that the latest Israeli airstrike on Gaza took place at 3.30:XNUMX a.m. (media previously reported it was an hour later).
He added that Israel is ready for more strikes.
Palestinian sources in Gaza said earlier today that Israel's condition for the ceasefire was an end to all activities along the border fence, including the release of incendiary balloons and a planned border protest on Friday to mark the anniversary of the start of those mass demonstrations against the Israeli and Egyptian blockade of Gaza.
Israeli media reported today that the protest planned for tonight near the Gaza-Israel border has been postponed for security reasons.
The latest conflict between Hamas and the Israeli army, which threatens to turn into another war, was triggered by a long-range rocket fired suddenly from the south of the Gaza Strip yesterday morning. A rocket hit and demolished a house north of Tel Aviv, injuring seven people. The incident prompted Netanyahu to cut short his visit to Washington and return to Israel.
Bomb shelters have been opened in all major cities of Israel in preparation for the offensive that began yesterday evening.
Extremists in Gaza responded with fresh shelling of mostly the border area that lasted until the early hours of the morning, although Hamas announced last night that a ceasefire had been brokered by Egypt and had come into force at 22pm local time.
In the Israeli retaliation last night, among other things, the office of the main leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was hit, and today it was announced that seven people were wounded when a house was hit.
As of this morning, there is a tense calm in Gaza, and all schools in the south of Israel are closed, AP reports.
Since seizing power in Gaza by force from forces loyal to rival more moderate Fatah in 2007, Hamas has gone to war with Israel three times, with the latest conflict threatening to spiral out of control just two weeks before Israeli parliamentary elections.
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