Israeli warplanes strike Gaza

Israeli warplanes struck several times Wednesday and early Thursday along the country's border with Gaza, killing three people and wounding several others, medical sources told reporters.

Early Thursday, an Israeli warplane shot missiles at a social club in northern Gaza, killing two people and wounding 20, including women and children, medical sources said.

On Wednesday, an air strike on a tunnel between Rafa and Egypt left three people seriously wounded, the sources said. The Israel Defense Forces said that an Israeli warplane hit an Islamic Jihad militant from the city of Rafa who was involved in smuggling weapons "and sought the execution of terrorist activity in Sinai."

The victim had operated with Gaza elements who had recently tried to carry out an attack in Sinai, on Israel's border with Egypt, it added.

Hamas security and medical sources reported a strike in Rafa in which one man was killed and three others were wounded, two of them critically, when their Jeep was struck. The four men were members of Islamic Jihad, sources with the Palestinian militant group said. In response, Islamic Jihad said Wednesday night that its members had fired about 10 rockets from Gaza into southern Israel. There was no immediate report of casualties.

The IDF said in a news release that it fired Wednesday night at a "terrorist squad" that had fired rockets into southern Israel. "A hit was confirmed," it said. On Wednesday morning, the IDF reported that two people who had fired rockets at Israel from separate locations in northern Gaza were hit moments afterward by an Israeli aircraft.

The flare-up between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza came following an attack carried out by Palestinian militants last Thursday near the southern city of Eilat, which killed eight Israelis. Another Israeli was killed by a rocket attack near the city of Beer Sheva in southern Israel.

"The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers, and will respond with determination to any attempt to use terror against the State of Israel," the IDF news release said.

The U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Richard Serry, issued a statement Sunday saying he "remains worried about the continuing tensions in particular the escalation of violence in Gaza and Southern Israel." He called for a return to calm and said "the United Nations is actively engaged and supporting Egypt's important efforts in this regard," a reference to Egypt's attempt to better control the Sinai.

Palestinian Mosque Set Ablaze

Palestinians inspect the damage following a fire inside a mosque in the West Bank village of Al Mughayer, near Ramallah

Arsonists torched a West Bank mosque early Tuesday and scrawled Hebrew graffiti on one of its walls.

The Palestinian mayor of el-Mughayer village said a tire was set ablaze inside the mosque in an apparent attempt to burn down the building.

No one claimed responsibility, but suspicion fell upon Jewish settlers, both because they have carried out similar acts in the past and because the graffiti read, "Price tag, Aley Ayin."

"Price tag" is a settler practice of attacking Palestinians in revenge for Israeli government operations against settlers. Aley Ayin is a small, unauthorized settler outpost that was evacuated by security forces last week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the act, calling it "a heinous act of provocation."

The U.S. also condemned the burning and vandalizing of the mosque.

"This attack is the latest of several such acts of violence against West Bank mosques," deputy State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said. "These incidents have served to undermine efforts to promote a comprehensive peace in the region."

"We call on the Israeli government to investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice, and for calm from all parties," he added.

U.N. Mideast envoy Robert Serry noted Netanyahu's condemnation.

Serry called on Israel to "ensure the accountability of those responsible and protect the human rights of Palestinians and their property."

Mayor Faraj al-Nassan said villagers discovered the fire when they went to the mosque for morning prayers.

Prayer rugs were burned, but the fire did not spread extensively.

14 Palestinians shot dead in Syrian refugee camp

Eye witnesses say security guards opened fire on angry mourners who attacked Palestinian faction leaders in Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus.

Palestinian security guards reportedly killed 14 Palestinians Monday in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria. According to witnesses, an angry crowd of mourners began to charge toward leaders of Palestinian factions, prompting their security guards to open fire. The mourners accused the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) of ndangering their lives during Sunday's protest on Israel's border, by encouraging them to put themselves in the line of fire. 

The crowd chanted slogans against Maher al-Taher, PFLP spokesman and politburo member, and set fire to the PFLP headquarters. There are additional reports that Khaled Meshal, Hamas political leader in Damascus, arrived at the camp but was forced to leave. PFLP leadership claims that outside forces are behind the riot, and that some of those killed are PLFP activists. 

Syria said on Monday that 23 people were killed in Sunday's "Naksa Day" rally, commemorating 44 years since the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel captured Syria's Golan Heights in that conflict, as well as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Official Syrian news agency SANA quoted Health Minister Wael al-Halki as saying the death toll included a woman and a child, adding that another 350 people suffered gunshot wounds.

The Israeli Defense Force continued Tuesday o amass forces on the border between  Israel and Syria, mainly in response to arnings of further protests to mark the  4th anniversary of the battles over East Jerusalem in the Six-Day War.

Fatah, Hamas movements reach deal

The rival Palestinian movements of Hamas and Fatah have reached an initial deal that would usher in a unity government, officials from both groups said on Wednesday.

The deal would establish a new parliament and a date for general elections, Hamas officials told Wednesday.

They've also reached an agreement over security issues that have kept the two sides apart, the Hamas officials said.

Fatah officials said Hamas' reservations have been discussed and resolved and also confirmed that the two parties have agreed to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in a year's time.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal are going to meet soon in Egypt, a Hamas official said.

This move comes amid international efforts by Abbas for statehood, and it could portend unity in the fractious Palestinian territories.

For years, there has been a big divide between the hard-line and anti-Israel Hamas and Fatah, which has engaged in peace negotiations with Israel.

There've been two governments, with Palestinian Authority controlling the Fatah-dominated West Bank and Hamas seizing Gaza four years ago after both sides fought in the street.

There've been moves by both sides to reach a reconciliation deal since but those efforts failed.

Israel and militants in Gaza have fought continually for years. Israel has retaliated against Gaza militants who've fired missiles into southern Israeli towns.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the authority must decide whether it wants "peace with Israel or peace with Hamas.

"It is impossible to have peace with both since Hamas is looking to destroy the state of Israel and says it openly," he said, emphasizing that the projectiles have been fired on cities and children.

"I think that the mere idea of reconciliation shows the weakness of the Palestinian Authority and raises wonders whether Hamas will take over Judea and Samaria as it took over the Gaza Strip. I hope that the Palestinian Authority chooses right -- that it chooses peace with Israel, the choice is theirs," Netanyahu said.

Many Israelis refer to the West Bank as Judea and Samaria.

Israel strikes kills 12 Gazans

Eleven Palestinians, including three civilians, have been killed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza.

The Israeli strikes come hours after Islamist group Hamas said it had brokered a deal for Gaza's militant groups to stop firing on Israel.

However, Israel pounded Gaza with fresh airstrikes on Friday and Palestinian militants fired mortars into Israel.

On Thursday, a Hamas anti-tank missile hit at an Israeli school bus, seriously wounding a teenager.

Since then, Israel has launched more than 20 raids on the Gaza Strip, killing 14 Gazans - many of them civilians, at least five Hamas militants and one policeman. About 45 people have been wounded.

Meanwhile, an Israeli police spokesman said at least 15 rockets have been fired into Israel during Friday, causing damage but no injuries. This follows more than 50 mortar rounds fired at Israel on Thursday, one of which hit a house.

Hamas's military wing said it carried out some of the strikes, accusing Israel of breaking the ceasefire declaration with its dawn raids. A small PLO faction, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, also said it fired at Israel on Friday.

Collapsing ceasefire

Last night, Hamas - which governs the Gaza Strip - met other militant factions and agreed to enforce a ceasefire if Israel also stopped firing.

However neither side seems to have stopped for long, says the BBC's Jon Donnison in Gaza City.

It is not clear whether the fresh violence signals an end to the truce, or whether the firing of rockets was carried out by a Palestinian splinter group that had not signed up to the ceasefire.

Israel says it is responding to the school bus attack on Thursday near the Nahal Oz kibbutz. A 16-year-old boy suffered a serious head wound.

Militants from the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, hit the bus with an anti-tank shell. They said it was in response to the killing of Hamas leaders last week.

The bus attack was condemned by the US, EU and UN, which said it was particularly concerned by reports that the Gaza militants had used an advanced anti-tank weapon to target civilians.

On Friday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the bus attack and expressed concern over civilian casualties in Israel's strikes. He called for "de-escalation and calm to prevent any further bloodshed".

Several of those killed in Gaza were civilians, including a Palestinian mother and her 21-year-old daughter, as well as a 55-year-old man in the southern city of Khan Younis, Palestinian medics say.

A 50-year-old civilian who had been sitting outside his home died when he was hit by tank fire on Thursday, an official in Gaza said.

The Israeli military issued a statement confirming that "uninvolved citizens may have been harmed" in one operation.

But it blamed Hamas for their deaths, adding that the group "chooses to operate from within civilian populations and uses uninvolved people as human shields".

Four others among the dead were identified as leaders of the Qassam Brigades and two of Friday's victims had been members of the group, Hamas said.

Doctors and Hamas officials also confirmed that a militant commander and two bodyguards had been killed in an air strike early on Saturday.

Last month saw some of the worst violence since Israel launched a major offensive in Gaza in December 2008.

In one week in March, at least 10 Palestinians - including several civilians and children - were killed by Israeli attacks.

In the same period, militants in Gaza fired more than 80 rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel.

Israel says it holds Hamas responsible for all attacks coming out of Palestinian territory, even if it is other militant groups carrying them out.

Hamas declares ceasefire in Gaza

Hamas says it has brokered a deal for Gaza's militant groups to stop firing on Israel, after another day of violent exchanges.

Hamas, which governs Gaza, said the truce was designed to stop an escalation of Israeli "aggression".

The militant wing of Hamas earlier hit an Israeli bus with an anti-tank shell, injuring two people.

Israeli forces replied with air strikes and tank fire, killing four and wounding 30, Palestinian doctors say.

The bus attack was condemned by the US, which said it was particularly concerned by reports that the Gaza militants had used an advanced anti-tank weapon to target civilians.

The bus had been dropping off schoolchildren near the Nahal Oz kibbutz, and was carrying only one passenger when it was hit, Israeli medical sources said.

A 16-year-old boy suffered a serious head wound and was taken to hospital for surgery.

After the attack, witnesses said more rockets and mortars were fired from the Gaza Strip.

In response, an Israeli plane bombed a compound in northern Gaza belonging to Hamas. Targets in Gaza City and Rafah were also hit.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would take any action necessary to deter attacks from Gaza.

"We hope this situation will be contained but we will not shy away from taking all the necessary action, offensive and defensive, to protect our country and to protect our citizens," said Mr Netanyahu during a visit to Prague.

Later, the Hamas Interior Ministry announced it had been in talks to broker a truce, saying: "We received a positive response from most of the factions."

The ministry did not announce which groups had refused the truce.

Officials said the ceasefire went into effect at 2300 local time (2000 GMT).

Riyad Mansour, the top Palestinian diplomat at the UN, said he hoped Israel would also respect the move.

Last month saw some of the worst violence since Israel launched a major offensive in Gaza in December 2008.

In one week in March, at least 10 Palestinians - including several civilians and children - were killed by Israeli attacks.

In the same period, militants in Gaza fired more than 80 rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel.

Israel says it holds Hamas responsible for all attacks coming out of Palestinian territory, even if it is other militant groups carrying them out.

Israel shells Gaza City after Palestinian strike

Israel has shelled the Palestinian territory of Gaza, killing one person and injuring at least four, after a mortar from Gaza hit a bus in southern Israel.

A boy, 13, was seriously wounded and several others were hurt by the mortar which landed near a kibbutz.

Israeli tanks struck back immediately, killing a 50-year-old man and injuring others, including a child of four.

March saw some of the worst violence since Israel's 2009 offensive in Gaza.

In one week in March, at least 10 Palestinians - including several civilians and children - were killed by Israeli attacks.

In the same period, militants in Gaza fired more than 80 rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel.

Hamas - the Islamist movement which runs Gaza - had pledged to try to restore a ceasefire that ended on 16 March when an Israeli air strike killed two of its militants in Gaza.

However, Israel said it had suffered "bouts of terror and rocket attacks".