Palestinian rocket fire into Israel continued despite Egyptian efforts to
stop the salvos. At least one rocket was launched from Gaza on Thursday, hours
after an Egyptian mediator, Maj. Gen. Burhan Hammad, informed Israeli
officials that he had secured an agreement from Palestinan terrorist groups to
renew a truce declared in November.
The latest attack caused no casualties,
and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
According to Hammad, despite
a Hamas declaration Tuesday that the putative cease-fire was over, the various terrorist groups wanted to return to relative calm. But he said they wanted the truce to extend
to the West Bank, which Israel has said it will consider only if the
terrorist threats from that territory diminish and the existing cease-fire in the Gaza Strip is actually kept. The cease-fire has been broken almost daily by rocket attacks on Israel.
