Fighting resumes in Gaza

Israel's military reported that Palestinian militants had fired more than 45 rockets on Friday morning and that the "Iron Dome" interceptor system had brought down two.

Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for the salvoes from the Hamas-dominated coastal enclave.

Tel Aviv accused Hamas of breaking the ceasefire saying several of the rockets had been launched about four hours before the truce was due to end at 08:00 a.m. (0500 GMT). Heavier barrages followed shortly after the temporary truce expired.

Cairo talks

Further talks were held in Cairo during the temporary ceasefire, which started on Tuesday morning, however, attempts to extend the 72-hour truce failed.

Meanwhile, an Israeli government official said Israel would not negotiate with Hamas while it continued to unleash missiles.

Egypt's foreign ministry appealed to both sides "to return immediately to the ceasefire commitment and exploit the opportunity available to resume negotiations on the very limited sticking points that remain in the fastest possible time."

Palestinian factions said they would meet Egyptian mediators later on Friday, but there was still no sign of an imminent deal.

Casualties of month-long war

Palestinian medical officials said a 10-year-old boy was killed in an Israeli strike near a mosque in Gaza City after the hostilities resumed. It's also reported that an Islamic Jihad militant was killed in a later hit.

Gaza City was rocked by a major explosion, which appeared to have been caused by an air raid - a military spokesman said Israel had responded to Hamas rocket fire by launching air strikes at "terror sites" across the Gaza Strip.

"We will continue to strike Hamas, its infrastructure, its operatives, and restore security for the State of Israel," Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said in a statement.

In Israel, the police said two people were injured by mortar fire from Gaza.

Gaza officials say the war has killed at least 1,877 Palestinians, most of them civilians. Hamas announced on Thursday it had executed an unspecified number of Palestinians as Israeli spies.

Israel says 64 of its soldiers and three civilians have died in the fighting that began on July 8, after a surge in Palestinian rocket salvoes into Israel.

Israel launched a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip July 17 - Tel Aviv pulled its infantry and armour out of the enclave on Tuesday after saying it had destroyed more than 30 infiltration tunnels dug by militants.

lw/shs (AP, Reuters)