Fresh strikes follow five-day Gaza truce extension

JERUSALEM. KAZINFORM - Israel has launched air strikes on Gaza after being targeted by rocket fire, just as agreement had been reached on extending a truce by five days.

Israel's military said it was targeting "terror sites" after at least five rockets were launched from Gaza. The ceasefire extension was agreed in indirect talks in Cairo, minutes before an existing three-day truce expired. It is not yet clear if either side sees the latest strikes as a major breach of the ceasefire, correspondents say.

Palestinian sources say the truce extension will create a window for further negotiations. But the BBC's Kevin Connolly in Gaza says future talks are likely to be forbiddingly difficult.

Officials from both sides have been communicating their demands through Egyptian intermediaries in Cairo.

The talks are aimed at finding a more durable solution to the conflict in Gaza. Israel's military said at least five rockets had been fired from Gaza on Wednesday evening. No casualties were reported in Israel. Hamas militants have denied they fired the rockets.

The extension to the ceasefire was agreed less than an hour before the existing three-day truce expired at midnight local time (21:00 GMT).

"We have agreed to give more time for the negotiations," the head of the Palestinian delegation in Cairo, Azzam al-Ahmed, told AFP news agency.