Israeli strikes target Gaza Strip ahead of truce

The Israeli military conducted the strikes on several targets in northern Gaza on Tuesday minutes before the truce took effect at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT).
 
The move drew an immediate response from the Palestinian resistance fighters who showered a barrage of rockets on several Israeli cities. However, there have been no reports of casualties on either side.
 
Israeli ground forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip ahead of the ceasefire, with an Israeli military spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner, claiming that their goal of destroying cross-border tunnels in Gaza had been completed.
 
He added that troops and tanks would be redeployed in positions outside the Gaza Strip.
 
Meanwhile, delegates from Israel and Hamas are to hold indirect talks in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to cement a longer-term deal during the course of the truce.
 
Hamas wants a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an end to the Israeli siege of the costal enclave and the release of Hamas inmates held by Israel.
 
Gaza has been blockaded by Israel since June 2007. The enclave’s northern Erez crossing has been controlled by the Tel Aviv regime while its southern Rafah crossing by Egypt. Both crossings are closed.
 
Palestinians have been forced to dig tunnels under the crossings to bring in their basic goods like construction materials, food, and fuel.
 
At least 1,867 Palestinians, including around 430 children, have so far been killed and over 9,500 others injured since the Israeli military launched its recent offensive against the Gaza Strip on July 8. Tel Aviv says 64 Israelis have been killed in the war, while Hamas puts the number at more than 150.