Israel accepted an Egyptian-brokered cease fire that began at 9:00 am Israel Time (2:00 am in New York). Hamas and Islamic Jihad refused the cease fire, however, and launched a barrage of rocket fire into Israel.
Updated 8:05 am CDT
Israel Accepts Cease Fire, Hamas And Islamic Jihad Refuse, Continue To Fire Rockets Into Israel
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Israel accepted an Egyptian-brokered cease fire that began at 9:00 am Israel Time (2:00 am in New York). Hamas and Islamic Jihad refused the cease fire, however, and launched a barrage of rocket fire into Israel.
The IDF counted more than 40 rockets fired from Gaza into Israel from the beginning of the cease fire at 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Israel Time as Israel says it did not fire back or bomb Gaza.
Hamas claims Israel did bomb Gaza at least once during the early part of the cease fire, but there appears to be no evidence to support that claim.
After almost six hours of upholding the cease fire even as Hamas and Islamic Jihad broke it, at about 3:00 pm Israel Time, Israel announced it was resuming air strikes on Gaza – although its first post-cease fire targets appear to be open areas adjacent to population centers.
Those first attacks may have been meant as warnings to Gaza's civilians to rise up against Hamas and Islamic Jihad and stop the violence.
Along with Israel, the cease fire was accepted by most of the international community, including most of the Arab League and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
US Secretery of State John Kerry condemed Hamas in the strongest terms for refusing the cease fire and for its continued rocket fire into Israel.