Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri on Friday laid the blame on Israel for the ceasefire in Gaza not being extended, saying the Jewish state did not provide a clear response to Hamas’s conditions.
Speaking at a news conference in Gaza City and quoted by the Ma’an news agency, Abu Zuhri said that the lack of response undermined Palestinian demands and that “Israeli stubbornness led to not extending the ceasefire.”
He accused Israel of stalling and wasting time, adding that it must accept all of Hamas’s conditions.
He said that Israel rejected the establishment of an airport or a seaport and refuses to expand the fishing zone.
The three-day ceasefire expired at 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning, and Hamas promptly began firing rocket barrages at southern Israel.
On Friday afternoon, a rocket from Gaza directly hit a house in the city of Sderot. Miraculously no injuries were caused as the residents were out at the time, but significant damage was caused to the property.
Israel reportedly accepted a possible extension of the truce as early as Wednesday, but Hamas categorically rejected the move. On Thursday, the group declared that it would reject a ceasefire unless all its demands are met.
Also Friday, according to Ma’an, Hamas leader Izzat al-Rashq said that the Palestinian Arab delegation in Cairo did not receive an Israeli response to any of the Palestinian demands.
He added in a post on Facebook that the Israeli delegation was maneuvering and held it accountable for the failure to achieve an agreement.