Gaza truce negotiations continue despite fighting resuming on Friday morning after a weeklong pause in hostilities.
Mediator Qatar's foreign ministry said discussions were still ongoing with Israelis and Palestinians to restore the truce, which collapsed overnight.
In a statement, the ministry said that Israeli bombardment of Gaza was complicating its mediation efforts.
Palestinian sources told The New Arab's Arabic sister service Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that there had been serious negotiations sponsored by Qatar and Egypt before the renewed hostilities. However, the source said, Israel wanted its demands met without giving anything in exchange, disrupting the extension of the truce for a further day.
Israel has announced a resumption of combat in Gaza, carrying out a series of airstrikes across the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli military accused Hamas of violating the "operational pause", and "in addition, firing toward Israeli territory".
A spokesperson for Gaza's health ministry said over 150 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes in the hours since the temporary truce expired.
A source close to Hamas told AFP that the group's armed wing had received "the order to resume combat" and to "defend the Gaza Strip," with heavy fighting reported in parts of Gaza City.
The fighting restarted shortly after Israel's military alleged it had intercepted a rocket fired from Gaza.
Sirens warning of potential missile fire sounded around several communities near Gaza in the hour after the hostilities resumed, and Israeli authorities said they were restarting security measures in the area including closing schools.
(AFP, Reuters, The New Arab)
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