BICOM

A five-hour break in hostilities is set to take place today although rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel continued this morning.

United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Robert Serry proposed the brief cessation of violence for humanitarian reasons, telling Channel Two, “It is in the interest of all the citizens of Gaza, in order to give them a chance to go to the hospital, get health care or get food.” The Israeli army quickly agreed to Serry’s request, saying that between 10am and 3pm local time it will “cease operational activity within the Gaza Strip and hold its fire.” Hamas later followed suit, saying, “The Palestinian factions agreed to accept the offer from the United Nations for a cooling-down on the ground for five hours.”

However, Gaza rocket fire into Israel looked likely to continue up until the 10am deadline. The Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted four missiles over Beer Sheva this morning, having shot down rockets over Kiryat Malachi and Kiryat Gat overnight. Yesterday, 94 rockets were fired at Israel, sending residents of Tel Aviv and across southern Israel hurrying for cover. In Ashdod, a school was hit by a rocket and a home in Ashkelon was hit causing no injuries.

Meanwhile, Israel continued to carry out air strikes in the Gaza Strip to quell the rocket fire after Hamas yesterday officially rejected an Egyptian-sponsored ceasefire. The IDF said yesterday afternoon that it had hit 61 targets during the day, including underground tunnels, rocket launching sites, and Hamas infrastructure and training sites. However, one strike by sea killed four Palestinian boys aged 9 to 11 who were playing on a Gaza beach. The IDF described the incident as “tragic” and said it was investigating the circumstances. Also yesterday, Israel dropped leaflets over northern Gaza, urging residents to leave their homes for their own safety in what may be an indication that Israel could expand Operation Protective Edge.