Palestinian factions negotiated until 4am but would not extend truce unless Israel ended its blockade on Gaza

Wave of attacks from land, air and sea hit Nour al-Mohammadi Mosque in Gaza City, killing a boy and wounding five

Israel declared truce over and hit 'terror sites' in new strikes as minister warned ground troops could invade again

At least 10 rockets fired into Israel as negotiators failed to extend ceasefire which expired at 8am today (5am GMT)


Gaza is at war once more after militants blasted rockets into Israel and the military hit back - launching a string of strikes which killed a 10-year-old boy at a mosque.

Palestinian families fled their bombed-out homes this morning as Israel claimed Hamas fired at least 18 rockets from Gaza at the end of a tense 72-hour ceasefire, which negotiators failed to extend.

And three hours after the truce ended Israel announced it was renewing its military campaign, hitting what it called 'terror sites' across Gaza with a fresh wave of air strikes, gunboats and tank fire.

Most of the strikes hit empty fields but one struck the grounds of the Nour al-Mohammadi Mosque in Gaza City - killing a 10-year-old boy and wounding five, one of them critically.

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Struck again: Gaza is at war once more after militants blasted rockets into Israel and the military hit back - launching a string of strikes which killed a 10-year-old boy at a mosque. Pictured, smoke rises over Gaza City on the first month anniversary of the conflict after Israel vowed to hit back following rocket attacks by militants

Skyline obliterated: Gaza City (pictured) had previously enjoyed three tense days of peace, the longest period since the beginning of the conflict last month

War once more: Smoke rose again over Gaza City today after a 72-hour ceasefire ended without being extended. Palestinians have once again fled their homes

As Israel renewed its assault, Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said: 'The renewed rocket attacks by terrorists at Israel are unacceptable, intolerable and shortsighted'

Death: Most of today's strikes hit empty fields - but one struck the grounds of the Nour al-Mohammadi Mosque in Gaza City, killing a 10-year-old boy and wounding five other boys. The boy is pictured above being taken to his funeral

Grief: The father of the dead boy mourns today after he was killed in the Israeli air strike on the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in northern Gaza City

Family: Another relative of the 10-year-old boy who was killed in the grounds of the mosque mourning during his funeral today as air strikes continued to rain down

Missile strike: Smoke rises from a building in Gaza, which locals say fell prey to an Israeli air strike this morning

Clashes: The continued violence in Gaza has sparked conflict elsewhere. Pictured are Palestinian protesters hurling stones during clashes at Bet Forik in the West Bank, where 23 people are thought to have been wounded

Duck and cover: Palestinian protesters shelter from heavily-armed members of the Israeli Defense Forces, occasionally appearing to hurl stones at the soldiers

Anger: The protesters set fire to tyres and attack members of the Israeli military, venting their anger over their actions in Gaza, as the soldiers and armoured vehicles hold the line

It came after Hamas released a statement late last night warning it would not extend the truce unless Israel ended its seven-year blockade of Gaza.

As the conflict turned a month old today, amid international condemnation of the slaughter of hundreds of women and children, the death toll stood at 1,875 Palestinians and 67 Israelis, 64 of them soldiers.

The 72-hour truce had been the longest so far but ended when Gaza militants said they had fired 10 rockets, fewer than the 18 described by Israel.

By midday, 33 rockets had been fired. Twenty-six landed in Israel, three were intercepted and four fell short in Gaza, the army said.

Israel's military held off on returning fire for almost three hours, but then announced it had renewed its campaign in the Gaza Strip to hit 'terror sites' across the enclave.

Bruised, battered and bloodied: A man who was wounded in one of today's strikes is carried into Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital on a stretcher after the truce ended

Injured: Medics tend to a Palestinian boy injured in Israeli airstrikes at the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Almost 10,000 Palestinians have been injured in the conflict

Innocents: The death toll in Gaza, where Israel accuses Hamas of using its citizens as human shields, has included well over 300 children

A Palestinian boy injured in Israeli airstrikes is treated at the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City as Egypt demanded both sides should come back to the negotiating table

Distress: An elderly woman cries out as she is treated at the hospital - just one of dozens of casualties which were brought through its doors today

Despite the three-day ceasefire - the longest so far in the conflict - more than 170,000 people were still in UN shelters yesterday. Pictured, the Al-Shifa Hospital

That was despite the two sides' Egyptian mediators demanding they return to the negotiating table, saying there had only been a few outstanding issues on which they could not agree.

Military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said: 'The renewed rocket attacks by terrorists at Israel are unacceptable, intolerable and shortsighted.

'Hamas' bad decision to breach the ceasefire will be pursued by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces). We will continue to strike Hamas, its infrastructure, its operatives and restore security for the State of Israel.'

Flights had been suspended at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport, potentially within range of some rockets, for 45 minutes as the truce expired.

As truce ended at 8am (5am GMT), fearful families who had returned to their homes in the northern town of Beit Hanoun gathered up their belongings and headed back to the United Nations shelters where they had sought refuge.

Upset: A child waiting for treatment. Palestinian negotiators from at least three factions spent more than six hours negotiating until 4am today, to no avail

Another injured man. Today, as the fighting unfolded, more than 50,000 people poured into UN shelters in just a few hours as the total reached 221,000 by 5pm local time

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz raised the prospect of Israel relaunching a ground operation 'to topple the Hamas regime' as more injured people arrived

A UN Relief Works Agency spokesman said: 'The Agency is struggling to cope with the provision of water, food, and non food items on a daily basis'

Despite the three-day ceasefire - the longest so far in the conflict - more than 170,000 people were still in UN shelters yesterday.

Today, as the fighting unfolded, more than 50,000 people poured into UN shelters in just a few hours as the total reached 221,000 by 5pm.

Other families in eastern Gaza also fled the tents which they had pitched near their bombed-out houses.

Israel had earlier said it would agree to extend the ceasefire, which was being negotiated by Egyptian mediators in Cairo.

But a Hamas spokesman said factions would only agree the extension if Israel agreed in principle to demands which include a lifting of a blockade on the Gaza Strip, the release of prisoners and the opening of a sea port.

Palestinian negotiators from factions including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah left their Cairo hotel for talks with Egyptian intelligence at 9.30pm yesterday.

They returned more than six and a half hours later looking subdued and saying no deal had been reached.

Palestinian officials paced the lobby, speaking on their phones and holding meetings, trying to reach a final decision as the deadline approached.

Solemn: Palestinian children attend Friday noon prayers in the rubble of a mosque which was destroyed by Israeli strikes in Gaza City

The ceasefire ends: Militants' rockets (pictured) blasted into Israel this morning as a 72-hour truce came to an end, prompting Palestinians to leave their homes

War: An Israeli Iron Dome missile intercepts a rocket fired by militants from inside Gaza this morning over the southern Israeli town of Sdedorot

Unending: The conflict began a month ago today and has claimed the lives of at least 1,875 Palestinians and 67 Israelis, 64 of whom were soldiers

Retaliation: A few hours after the truce ended smoke rose once again over Gaza City in what witnesses said was an Israeli air strike

Offensive: Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip (pictured) was also hit after Israel said it would strike 'terror sites' across the Palestinian enclave

Red sky in the morning: As the sun rose over Gaza City early today, negotiators in Cairo approached the 8am truce deadline with no sign of an extension on the table

Toll: Huge parts of Gaza have been levelled to the ground amid international outcry in the month-old conflict, which has claimed 1,875 Palestinian lives

The Israelis have shown little interest in easing their naval blockade of Gaza and controls on overland traffic and airspace, suspecting Hamas could restock on weapons from abroad.

As tensions flared, Hamas said last night it had executed an unspecified number of Palestinians whom it believed to be Israeli spies.

And Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz raised the prospect of Israel relaunching the ground operation it halted on Tuesday after international alarm.

Speaking on Army Radio, he raised the prospect of 'taking control of the Gaza Strip in order to topple the Hamas regime'.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown little inclination to do so.

Sparked initially by the killing of three Israeli teenagers, fighting began on July 8 after a surge in Palestinian rocket salvoes into Israel.

Families fled in their cars in Gaza City as an Israeli military spokesman said: 'Hamas' bad decision to breach the ceasefire will be pursued by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces). We will continue to strike Hamas, its infrastructure, its operatives and restore security for the State of Israel'

Fear: Families fleeing their homes. A Hamas spokesman said factions would only agree the extension if Israel agreed in principle to lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip

No celebration: A Palestinian boy plays with balloons as the rest of his family gather their belongings to leave their home in Gaza City this morning

Improvised: As well as cars and trucks, some of the evacuating families in Gaza City used horse-drawn carts as Israeli air strikes and tank fire resumed

The Israeli military extended its air and naval bombardment of the Gaza Strip into a ground offensive on July 17, and pulled its infantry and armour out of the enclave on Tuesday after saying it destroyed more than 30 infiltration tunnels dug by militants.

The UN Relief Works Agency still had 89 shelters holding 171,000 people as of yesterday, down from a peak on almost 273,000 on Monday night before the ceasefire began.

A spokesman said: 'Whilst this seems to represent a dramatic decrease, the Agency is struggling to cope with the provision of water, food, and non food items on a daily basis.

'Based on historical patterns, UNRWA was ready to accommodate up to 50,000 people for couple of days, but not five times that number over almost one month.

'The Agency expects that a large number of displaced will have to remain in UNRWA shelters for an extended period of time, as they have nowhere else to go.'

Shelter: A boy sleeps in a UN school in Gaza City this morning. The UN has 89 shelters in Gaza holding 171,000 people yesterday, down from a peak of 273,000

Shelter: Volunteer Nisreen Shawa, 25, centre, uses her mobile phone to take a selfie with displaced Palestinian children at a UN school in Gaza City yesterday

At the ready: Soldiers from the Israeli Defense Forces dash to take position in Bet Forik, where their country's shelling in Gaza has prompted violent remonstrations

Holding the line: Soldiers withstand a hail of stones and chants from massed protesters in the West Bank, incensed at the treatment of the people of Gaza