Hamas denies reports on ending truce with Israel

PanARMENIAN.Net - A spokesman for the Qassam brigades, the military wing of Hamas, has denied that it is ending its de facto ceasefire with Israel, following an earlier report on a Hamas radio station claiming the truce was over, Al Jazeera reported.

The broadcast, early on Saturday, August 20, had said: "There is no longer any truce with the enemy."

The spokesman told Al Jazeera that the announcement was not correct.

The statements came after rockets were launched from Gaza into Israel and Israeli aircraft struck targets in the Palestinian territory in the back-and-forth aftermath of deadly attacks a day before in southern Israel.

At least 14 Palestinians have been killed and 30 were injured in the past 24 hours by Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip which began on Thursday. Four Israelis have been injured by rockets fired from Gaza.

The casualties are a result of exchanged attacks following a series of deadly assaults by gunmen who targeted two buses, a car and an army vehicle in the area north of Israel's Red Sea resort of Eilat on Thursday.

Eight Israelis, including six civilians and two soldiers, were killed that day alongside seven of the attackers, among which were two suicide bombers who detonated near a bus and during a confrontation with soldiers. Over 40 Israelis were also wounded, local media reported.

Israel vowed to "hunt down" the perpetrators who - it said - had infiltrated from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.