Rockets go quiet as Hamas leaders start talking truce

Skies over Israel have been unusually calm, without a single rocket attack over the last 17.5 hours, a rare respite from the near-constant stream of sirens triggered by rocket and drone launches from Gaza and Lebanon.

The period of calm comes as Hamas’s leaders are in Egypt for talks revolving around a possible pause in the fighting and the release of hostages held by terror groups in the enclave.

Large fusillades of rockets which were fired regularly during the war’s early weeks have faded as Gazan terrorists have seemingly run low on ammunition and places to fire from as the Israeli military presses its ground offensive in the Strip, squeezing Hamas and its allies. Yesterday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said mop-up operations were taking place in northern Gaza, indicating the army had essentially conquered half of the enclave.

Israel has continued pounding sites in Gaza, according to Palestinian reports, with a number of strikes reported in Rafah and elsewhere.