Israel, Palestinians Extend Ceasefire at Least Another 72 Hours, Rockets Continue to Fall on Israel

ASHKELON, Israel – Israel and Hamas agreed to extend the current ceasefire by another 72 hours late Wednesday night, although Israel’s Channel 2 News reports a rocket landed in the Eshkol region shortly after reports of the agreement surfaced. 

As this is written, rocket alert sirens are sounding in Ashkelon, and a rocket was reportedly intercepted over the city of Netivot by the Iron Dome missile defense system.

“We have agreed to give more time for the negotiations,” Palestinian delegation head Azzam al-Ahmed told AFP. Reports from Israeli media have differed on whether the extended ceasefire would last three days or, as some have reported, five days.

The rocket launched at Eshkol was the second of the evening; at 9:50 p.m., two hours before the current ceasefire was scheduled to expire, a rocket was fired at the coastal city of Ashkelon in southern Israel. The rocket landed in an open area in Hof Ashkelon and there are no reports of injuries at this time. Hamas denied responsibility for the attack.