Israel and Hamas Agree to Extend Ceasefire
Israel and Hamas Agree to Extend Ceasefire, Israel National News, Elad Benari, August 13, 2014
(Is the yo-yo going up and down, left and right or in all directions simultaneously? Apparently. — DM
Just as Hamas violates ceasefire which was set to expire at midnight, the sides announce it will be extended for another five days.
Rocket barrage from GazaReuters
Israel and the Palestinian Arabs agreed late Wednesday to extend a ceasefire in Gaza after failing to reach a long term agreement in Cairo-mediated talks, an Egyptian official said, according to AFP.
The new ceasefire will last five days, said senior Palestinian negotiator Azzam al-Ahmed, after he and other officials initially spoke of another 72-hour lull.
“It will last for five days,” he said, adding more time was needed to discuss “some” remaining disputes with Israel over a long-term truce.
An Egyptian official said Israel also accepted the proposal. Israel had earlier said it would back an extension of the lull.
A previously agreed three-day ceasefire was set to expire on Wednesday at midnight, though Hamas violated it just after 9:00 p.m. when it fired at least one rocket towards the Hof Ashkelon area.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri denied, however, that the group fired any rockets at Israel.
Just as the announcement of the extension of the ceasefire was made, another siren sounded in southern Israel.
A rocket exploded in an open area in the Eshkol region, causing no physical injuries or damages.
Earlier on Wednesday, Hamas said that it will not agree to lengthen the lull unless “real progress” is made in the negotiations being held in Cairo.
“We face decisive hours,” said a Hamas spokesman. “All options are open at the moment.”
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WarSclerotic 
August 13, 2014 at 11:51 PM
Can not find an official comment from the Israeli government
August 13, 2014 at 11:53 PM
Hamas announced shortly before the expiration of the 72- hour cease-fire at midnight Wednesday that it will be extended five days, even though the truce was broken by rocket shortly after 9 p.m. and again two hours later.
Would you accept a ceasefire from these people?
August 14, 2014 at 12:00 AM
Israel now striking Gaza.
If Netanyahu doesn’t finish off Hamas now after this latest breach, he may not last much longer.
August 14, 2014 at 12:32 AM
Yep!
August 14, 2014 at 12:25 AM
Hamas is now rubbing the Jews nose in the mud. How embarrassing.
August 14, 2014 at 12:30 AM
Or ! it is just the trigger waited for !
August 14, 2014 at 1:08 AM
Joop, in the end there will be no agreement, just a winner and a loser. Israel needs to determine and quickly which one it’s going to be.
August 14, 2014 at 1:17 AM
It will be WINNER, just the road to victory is not clear for us, at least not for me at the moment, but we will see what happens in 8 hours or so, if they take of to Cairo or not, i think they stay in Israel.
I really can not see that BIBI continue with this soap opera sorry negotiations .
August 14, 2014 at 1:30 AM
I hope you’re correct, but I’m afraid Neville Netanyahu will do what ever he can to stay out of the death zone of Gaza.
August 14, 2014 at 1:46 AM
I have my fears too, it just floating between emotions and logical conclusions for me.
August 14, 2014 at 2:51 AM
“Hamas: Israel Will Pay for Violating Ceasefire” as I said, Jews, nose, mud.
August 14, 2014 at 3:44 AM
Behold what Neville Netanyahu hath wrought upon Israel.
Israel is “stuttering” when dealing with Hamas, Channel 2 News’ military analyst Roni Daniel said on Wednesday night.
Daniel’s criticism came amid reports that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was extended for five more days.
“I find it unacceptable that the people of Israel have to count hours. Hamas can at most do what it has done up to now,” he said, noting that the organization has been hit hard in recent weeks.
“It is unthinkable that such an organization will terrorize Israeli civilians. We cannot enter these rounds of escalation,” said Daniel. “I hope that Israel will come around and not accept these five days. Five days and then another five days – what is this?”
“I look at the military and security reality and refuse to believe what I heard this evening,” he said, adding that the “stories” of Hamas that it was not the group that fired rockets at Israel hours before a previous ceasefire was to expire, were not satisfactory.
Daniel further noted that there was an Israeli agreement to Hamas’s demand for a seaport in Gaza, conditional upon the demilitarization of Gaza, but the Palestinians rejected that condition.
“I regret that we are stuttering in front of these rivals, Hamas dictates the pace and events, Israel must save itself from this situation and quickly,” he said.
Several nationalist MKs on Wednesday night called for a strong Israeli reaction in the wake of Hamas’s latest rocket attacks on Israel.
Deputy Transportation Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) said that as long as the residents of southern Israel continue to feel afraid, the military operation in Gaza was not completed.
“Israel cannot be a prisoner of Hamas. Operation Protective Edge must end with a mortal blow to Hamas’s capabilities, eliminating the leaders of Hamas and achieving deterrence,” she said.
MK Miri Regev (Likud), formerly the IDF Spokeswoman, called on the government to instruct the IDF to operate in Gaza until the Hamas terrorist infrastructure completely collapses.
“It is time that the Israeli government keep its promises to the public, bring back the security to the citizens of Israel and stop the rocket fire into Israel in general and communities in the south in particular,” she said.
“It seems there is no other way,” emphasized Regev. “All attempts to reach an agreement with Hamas have ended and are doomed to fail because it is a dangerous terrorist organization which aims to destroy Israel. We have seen that all the diplomatic elements cannot influence a terrorist organization.”