Fighting resumes in Gaza neighborhood, two-hour truce collapses

Fighting resumed in the Gaza neighborhood of Shejaia on July 20 less than an hour after a "humanitarian truce" was agreed to allow the evacuation of wounded from the area.
   
Israel's military said its forces were shot at shortly after the two-hour truce, facilitated by the Red Cross, had begun at 1:30 pm (1030 GMT), and that it had resumed combat operations. Hamas had no immediate comment on Israeli allegations it had breached the ceasefire.

"There is going to be a humanitarian window between 1:30 and 3:30 (1030 and 1230 GMT) in Shejaiya," an army spokeswoman previously said.
      
"The population is urged to evacuate within this timeframe to areas west of Shejaiya," the army said on its official Twitter page.        

"Any attempt to exploit this lull will be answered," it said.        

Hamas said it had agreed to the Red Cross proposal although it spoke of a three-hour lull.        

"The ICRC contacted (us) and offered to broker a three-hour humanitarian truce to enable ambulances to evacuate the dead and wounded and Hamas accepted it," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.

Israel expands ground assault

Thousands were fleeing northern Gaza after a night of fierce bombardment as Israel expanded a ground assault on day 13 of the deadliest violence in the enclave in five years.
      
As UN chief Ban Ki-moon was to arrive in the region to add his weight to truce efforts, the Palestinian death toll hit 370 although medics said it was set to soar after a night of intense attacks to the north and east of Gaza City.        

The Islamist Hamas movement, the main power in Gaza, has so far refused to yield in the face of the...