Israel and Hamas Trade Blows Amid Talks Toward a Cease-Fire
- Hamas said to agree to midnight truce, Israel denies report
- 3 Palestinians killed, 7 Israelis wounded in day of attacks
A picture taken on Aug. 9, 2018 shows smoke billowing following an Israeli air strike on Gaza City.
Photographer: Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Israel and Hamas veered between escalation and cease-fire Thursday after 24 hours of rocket exchanges and airstrikes that threatened to drag the Gaza Strip into war.
Al Jazeera reported late Thursday that Palestinian factions in Gaza had agreed to a cease-fire that would take effect at midnight, ending a day in which Palestinian groups fired 180 rockets into Israel and Israel struck some 150 Hamas targets throughout the coastal strip. A senior Israeli government official denied that any cease-fire had been reached.