IDF strikes rocket launchers, 1 dead

The truce in Gaza remains limited to rhetoric for the time being – In response to rocket attacks on Israeli communities in the western Negev throughout Monday, the IDF struck the Palestinian cell responsible for launching the attacks.

Palestinian sources report that the gunman killed belongs to the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad. The Palestinians also reported a second gunman was seriously wounded.

The IDF confirmed the strike, saying forces had targeted a Qassam launching cell in northern Gaza, from where rockets had been fired towards Israel.

Earlier in the day an Israeli man was lightly-to-moderately wounded after an upgraded Qassam landed in the Old Muslim Cemetery in Ashkelon, near the city's market. Shorty afterwards three additional rockets landed in Sedot HaNegev, Sderot and the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council.

No injuries or damage were reported.

Earlier on Monday IDF troops killed three Palestinian gunmen advancing towards the security fence in southern Gaza. Givati infantry soldiers crossed the border into Gaza in pursuit of the gunmen and opened fire at them. A subsequent search revealed two explosive devices that had been concealed on their persons, in addition to assault rifles and a video camera.

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Monday a successful end was in sight in Egyptian-sponsored talks on a truce in the Gaza Strip between his Islamist group and Israel.

In separate remarks, a Palestinian official familiar with the Egyptian mediation efforts said a declaration on a ceasefire, or a period of calm, was very near.

"The talks under way in Egypt on calm are nearing an end, an end that would bring about what the Palestinian people aspire to – a lifting of the siege, the opening of the crossings and an end to the aggression," said Haniyeh. "We are committed to these demands ... A reciprocal and simultaneous calm that begins in Gaza and then extends to the West Bank."

Hanan Greenberg contributed to this report