Right as a remarkably peaceful three-day truce drew to a close Friday, rocket launches and airstrikes resumed between Hamas and Israel.
Negotiators in Egypt tried to broker an extension of the 72-hour truce that began on Tuesday, but failed as rockets from Gaza were launched towards Israel, Reuters reported. Israel responded with a continuation of air strikes in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's Iron Dome system was able to intercept two of the 45 rockets "Gaza terrorists" launched Friday morning, Israel Defense Forces said. The military said some of the rockets were sent towards Israel several hours before the ceasefire was supposed to end at 8 a.m. local time, Reuters reported.
Air strikes were launched against "terror sites" in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas' attack.
"We will continue to strike Hamas, its infrastructure, its operatives, and restore security for the State of Israel," Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Learner said according to the news agency.
Palestinian health officials said an air strike near a mosque in Gaza City killed a 10-year-old boy, the first to die since the truce ended.
Hamas has refused to accept terms of any truce unless Israel ends its blockade on the Gaza border. Israel wants Gaza militants to hand over all of their weapons.
Egyptian officials have tried again and again to negotiate a deal to stop the deadly conflict that began July 8. But each ceasefire resulted in more fighting before they were scheduled to end. The truce that ended Friday was the longest one to last in the month-long war.
Palestinian officials on Friday appeared to be open to the possibility of continuing negotiations even though Israel shows no signs of lifting its naval blockade on Gaza, Reuters reported.
Cairo's foreign ministry urged both sides to resume talks to bring an end to the war that has killed 1,880 people on the Palestinian side and 67 on the Israeli side.
Both sides need "to return immediately to the ceasefire commitment and exploit the opportunity available to resume negotiations on the very limited sticking points that remain in the fastest possible time," the foreign ministry said according to Reuters.
