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Rockets and gunfire on Gaza border as truce ends

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-12-19 16:56

JERUSALEM -- Sporadic violence is flaring along the Gaza-Israel border as a shaky truce expires.

Israeli right-wing opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, pictured on a trip to Paris, on Friday dismissed peace efforts with Syria led by interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Sporadic violence is flaring along the Gaza-Israel border as a shaky truce expires. [Agencies]

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The Israeli military says Gaza militants fired two rockets into Israel on Friday morning, following heavy rocket fire in recent days. The military also says troops guarding Israeli farmers in fields along the border came under sniper fire from inside Gaza.

There were no injuries reported.

A six-month truce between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers is set to expire Friday. The cease-fire has been marred by ongoing violence since early November.

Hamas officials said Thursday that they would not renew the arrangement. Israel says the truce has no expiration date and that it will not take military action if Gaza's armed groups hold their fire.