Strike Kills Hamas Leader's Wife, Son

Israel suspends Cairo talks
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 20, 2014 7:26 AM CDT
Strike Kills Hamas Leader's Wife, Son
Smoke rises after an Israeli strike hit Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014.   (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

An Israeli airstrike has killed the wife and young son of Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif, the group says, per the Wall Street Journal. Hamas says Israel was targeting Deif himself, though it's not clear whether he was killed in the strike, the BBC notes. Deif, who has allegedly ordered suicide bombings in Israel in the past, was left disabled by previous efforts to kill him. Hamas says Israel will pay after opening "the gates of hell," the BBC reports.

New Israeli strikes have killed 11 people since the ceasefire collapsed yesterday, the BBC reports. Palestinian officials say another 100 have been wounded. Following new rocket attacks from Gaza, Israel suspended truce talks in Cairo, the Journal notes, and Reuters adds that the country has recalled its negotiators. "Israel thwarted the contacts that could have brought peace," says Palestine's chief negotiator. An Israeli spokesman, however, disagreed: "The Cairo process was built on a total and complete cessation of all hostilities, and so when when rockets were fired from Gaza, not only was it a clear violation of the ceasefire, but it also destroyed the premise upon which the talks were based." (More Israel stories.)

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