Hamas refuses to extend ceasefire, gunmen fire into Israel

The Israeli military said militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets or mortars into Israel 12 hours after a temporary ceasefire agreed on July 26 was extended by four hours.

In a post on Twitter at 17:00 (GMT) - the time the initial ceasefire expired, Israeli military spokesman Avital Leibovich said: "Rockets were fired at Israel despite the extension of the humanitarian ceasefire."

Israeli army raises ceasefire flag (Source: AFP)

Meanwhile, the Ezzedine al-Qassam brigade - the armed wing of Hamas - confirmed that they fired two rockets at Tel Aviv, five at Nachal Oz in the south and five at the southern city of Ashkelon.

Earlier, on the night of July 26, the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas announced its rejection of Israel's proposal to extend the ceasefire for four hours for humanitarian reasons to the 12-hour ceasefire brokered by the United Nations that had just expired.

Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said Hamas and Palestinian factions did not agree to extend the ceasefire for another four hours.

In a related development, ambulance workers said on the same day, July 26, they had collected the bodies of more than 132 Palestinians from the rubble across the Gaza Strip during the first half of the 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire./.

According to VNA