An Israeli air raid on suspected militants in the Gaza Strip killed a Palestinian man and wounded three others near the town of Jabalya. The strike comes one day after a tenuous Egyptian-backed ceasefire between Hamas and Israel expired.
The six-month cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is now officially over, and is not currently being renewed. Rockets fired into Israel, and Israeli strikes in Gaza give both sides plenty ammunition in deciding the blame for the cease-fires failure.
A tenuous, Egyptian-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has expired as scheduled a day after the Islamist faction, which controls the Gaza Strip, announced that it would not renew the agreement.
Hamas has rejected the possibility of renewing a truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip when the current agreement expires on Friday, and warned it will respond to any Israeli attack.
After freezing money transfers to Gaza for more than a month, Israel has finally authorised the transfer of some 20 million euros. But with the embargo halting the flow of goods into the Strip, the cash is siphoned off to Egypt by secret channels.
Hamas supporters turned out in the tens of thousands to mark the movement's 21st anniversary. The Palestinian Islamist movement, which controls Gaza, said it was unlikely to renew a truce with Israel when it expires later this week.
On Saturday the World Bank said that Israel's blockade of Gaza had created cash shortages that could collapse its banks. A day earlier, the banks had shut down due to lack of funds.
Israel must allow cash into Gaza, said the World Bank on Saturday. The region's banks face a cash crunch due to sanctions and could collapse, worsening the Palestinian humanitarian situation.
Egypt bolstered additional forces around the crossing point to Gaza amidst concerns over Palestinian protesters who are calling for the crossing be opened for those requiring medical treatment.
Israel's blockade of humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip - a response to violence by militants - has left the area's poorest residents in a state of despair. Watch our special report.
