Israel has accused Gaza of breaking yet another ceasefire when rockets from militants struck southern Israel on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Three rockets landed near the southern Israeli city of Beersheba just eight hours before a ceasefire was supposed to end on Tuesday, the nation's military said. No one was reported killed and Israel responded with its own attacks on Gaza.
Peace talks between Israel and Palestine in Egypt have been jeopardized by the new round of hostilities in the five-week war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told his official negotiators to return to Israel. The latest ceasefire was supposed to end Monday and was extended for a day when the rockets were fired.
"This rocket attack was a grave and direct violation of the ceasefire," Mark Regev, a spokesman for Netanyahu, told Reuters.
No one was reported dead in Israel's response attack on "terror targets across the Gaza Strip," a military spokesman told the news agency. Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the Gaza-based militant group Hamas, said he has no knowledge of the latest attack.
Throughout the talks, Israel and Hamas have not once met face-to-face, Reuters reported. Representatives from both sides wait in separate rooms while Egyptian negotiators shuffle between the two.
Hamas wants Israel to end years of blockades on the financially struggling enclave of 1.8 million people. Hamas also demands the construction of a seaport and airport in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has expressed strong concern for the security of its citizens and wants to see all Hamas militants disarmed in order to reach a deal. Hamas said it will not give up its weapons and has accused Israel of hindering truce talks, Reuters reported.
Despite the setbacks officials hope to quickly reach a deal to stop the fighting that has killed over 2,000 Palestinians, 64 Israeli soldiers and three Israeli civilians.
"We hope that every minute of the coming 24 hours will be used to reach an agreement, and if not (successful), the circle of violence will continue," Azzam al-Ahmad, senior leader of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, told Reuters.
