GAZA CRISIS | Israel, Palestinian militants trade fire after talks fail 

Palestinian militants launched dozens of rockets and Israel responded with airstrikes yesterday after Egyptian efforts to mediate a lasting truce in the monthlong Gaza war collapsed in a hail of fire a day earlier.
One of the Israeli airstrikes appeared to have targeted the home of Mohammed Deif, the Islamic militant group’s elusive military chief, who has escaped numerous Israeli assassination attempts in the past. It was not immediately clear whether he was there at the time of the attack.
The fighting resumed Tuesday when Gaza militants fired rockets at Israeli cities just hours before a temporary cease-fire was set to expire, prompting Israel to withdraw its delegation from Cairo and launch retaliatory airstrikes. Since then at least 16 Palestinians have been killed and 68 wounded, Gaza Health Ministry official Ashraf al-Kidra said.
The Israeli military said it carried out some 60 airstrikes on Gaza targets, and that Palestinians had fired at least 80 rockets at Israel since the temporary truce collapsed. About 2,000 reserve soldiers who had been sent home two weeks ago when fighting seemed to have simmered down were called up for duty again yesterday, the military said.
The breakdown in talks and the resumption of violence marked a bitter ending to nearly a week of Egyptian-led diplomacy meant to end the war, which has reduced entire Gaza neighborhoods to rubble and claimed more than 2,000 lives, mainly Palestinians.
Israel’s military said it targeted two Palestinian militants after they fired rockets at Israel in the early afternoon. The Palestinian Red Crescent said they were killed.
Soon afterward a rocket fired from Gaza hit a house in southern Israel, causing damage to the home but no injuries.
The violence left the Egyptian mediation efforts in tatters and raised the likelihood of a new escalation.
Palestinian negotiators said the talks were finished. AP

Ibrahim Barzak and Ian Deitch,
Gaza City