MOSCOW, August 19 (RIA Novosti) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday instructed the Israeli delegation in Cairo to return to Israel as the negotiations with the Palestinians over the Gaza truce had collapsed, the Haaretz newspaper reported citing government officials.
Netanyahu earlier ordered to strike “terror targets” in the Gaza Strip after Palestinian rockets landed in the Jewish state in violation of the ceasefire.
Israel and Gaza agreed to extend the ceasefire by 24 hours on Monday evening in a bid to negotiate a long-term truce. The ceasefire was to expire at 01:00 a.m. Moscow time Wednesday (21:00 GMT Tuesday).
On July 8, Israel launched an offensive against the Hamas movement in response to the military group’s rocket attacks. On July 17, Israel switched to a ground offensive to destroy the network of Hamas tunnels along Gaza’s Israeli border.
About 1,900 people have lost their lives in Gaza since the beginning of Israel’s Operation Protective Edge, mainly civilians. During this time Israel has lost 64 soldiers, with three more civilians killed in Israel.
