Senior Official: Hamas Not Extending Truce

Story by the Associated Press; curated by Oliver Darcy.

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CAIRO (AP) — A senior official says Hamas has decided not to extend a 72-hour cease-fire with Israel because Israel has rejected all of the group's demands in indirect talks in Cairo.

The cease-fire is to end at 0800 (0500 GMT) Friday.

A Palestinian boy waves the national flag as he participates at a Hamas rally in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014. Thursday's rally drew several thousand supporters and a senior Hamas official has told supporters at the rally that the war with Israel won't be over until the group's political demands are met. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was en route to informing Egyptian mediators of the decision.

The official says the Hamas delegation met for several hours early Friday with Egyptian officials. He says that in exchange for extending the truce, Hamas had demanded that Israel agree in principle to end Gaza's border closure and allow the rebuilding of Gaza.

He says Hamas was told by Egypt that Israel rejected those demands.

Earlier, two rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel, landing in empty fields.

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