Sirens resumed Friday in Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip, signaling a fourth day of hostilities between Islamist militants and the Israeli army as Egyptian-backed ceasefire talks seemed to stall.
Israel reported striking new targets, including in Rafah near the border with Egypt.At least 31 people have been killed and 93 injured in Gaza, a Palestinian enclave blockaded by Israel and Egypt, since Israeli airstrikes began Tuesday against the second largest armed group there, Islamic Jihad. The militants have launched more than 800 rockets this week, killing one Israeli and wounding seven more, after one of their most high profile representatives died on hunger strike in an Israeli prison.
Diplomatic efforts to curtail the fighting continue as governments express concern about the loss of life and the risk of the conflict widening. Although Egyptian media reported that a cease-fire agreement between the two parties had been reached late Wednesday, Israel’s public radio station reported Friday that talks have faltered, dashing earlier hopes of breakthrough.
The death Tuesday of Khader Adnan, a 45-year-old father of nine and an influential member of the Islamic Jihad, in Israeli custody inflamed tensions further. Adnan had been on hunger strike for 87 days after spending much of his adult life in prison on terrorism charges.
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