Israeli diplomatic sources on Tuesday revealed that following this afternoon's breach of the ceasefire by Gaza terrorists, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon have recalled the Israeli delegation from Cairo truce talks.
Three rockets were fired at Be'er Sheva just before 4 p.m., with two of them hitting near the southern capital and the third near Netivot. All three struck open ground, causing no damage or injuries.
Netanyahu and Ya'alon ordered the IDF to conduct retaliatory airstrikes following the breach, a counter-strike that was carried out within minutes of the attack, hitting several terror targets in the Hamas enclave of Gaza.
"The Cairo process was based on the premise of a total ceasefire," another official told AFP. "If Hamas fires rockets the Cairo process has no basis."
However, there was no immediate confirmation the team had left.
Talks in Cairo have been faltering, as the current ceasefire extension was set to expire Tuesday night at midnight.
According to reports by Sky News Arabic, Egypt has been making great efforts to save the ceasefire following the breach from Gaza. The report adds that the Israeli and Palestinian Arab delegations have not yet left Cairo.
During the latest round of talks, the Palestinian Authority (PA), Hamas and Islamic Jihad delegation submitted their amendments to an Egyptian proposal. In it, they slipped in demands for terrorist releases, and to push off discussions about Hamas returning the bodies of Second Lt.Hadar Goldin and First Sgt. Oron Shaul hy''d for a month after any truce.
Israel's demand for the disarmament of Gaza has been reportedly shelved in the talks, to be discussed in the next round held a month after an interim agreement.
Nevertheless, Israel has already made one "goodwill" gesture, lifting a ban on Gaza fishing Sunday despite numerous terrorist infiltration attempts by sea during the operation, and the fact that weapons have been smuggled in disguised fishing boats.
For its part, the Israeli public has been vocally unified calling for decisive action to remove the security threat from Gaza. This call was exemplified last Thursday, when 10,000 Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv's iconic Rabin Square demanding Israel finish the job in Gaza.