Israeli strike kills family of Hamas military leader, reports say

Rocket fire hit Israel for a second day on Wednesday amid reports that an Israeli airstrike a day earlier had killed the wife and child of fugitive Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif.

Israel, meanwhile, called up 2,000 military reservists, according to Israeli media reports. Most part-time soldiers had been sent home after Israel withdrew its ground forces from Gaza last month.

In the wake of the collapse of the latest cease-fire and the derailing of interim talks in the Egyptian capital, the fate of Deif himself was not immediately known. The Izzidin al-Qassam Brigades, the military branch of Hamas, claimed in a tweet that he was alive and healthy, while threatening to "destroy every Zionist city" at his command.

Israel has not commented on who or what was the target of a strike Tuesday on a house in Gaza's Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, which came shortly after several rockets struck southern Israel. Hamas denied responsibility for that initial volley, but claimed responsibility for dozens of rockets fired into the evening, including some longer-range strikes aimed at metropolitan areas including Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military said Wednesday that more than 70 rockets had been fired from Gaza since Tuesday afternoon.

Israel in the past tried many times to kill Deif, a famed but shadowy figure who spent decades in hiding. Hamas called for public participation in the funeral later Wednesday for his wife and child, identified by the group as a seven-month-old son named Ali. Earlier reports said the dead infant was a daughter.

Amid the resumption of hostilities, Palestinian officials reported that at least 10 people died in Gaza in overnight airstrikes. More than 2,000 Palestinians, most of them reported by the U.N. to be civilians, have been killed since the conflict broke out on July 8. On the Israeli side, the toll has been 64 soldiers and three civilians.

The resumption of heavy rocket fire took an immediate toll on daily life in southern Israel, which has been the main target of projectiles fired by militants from inside Gaza. The southern cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon canceled public events, closed their beaches, and shut down a regional college only days after it had reopened.

The United Nations said in a statement that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was "gravely disappointed" by the resumption of fighting.

The most recent chain of events spurred calls from some quarters for a hard line against Hamas. "Giving in to Hamas will only bring more fire … It is absolutely clear Israel cannot trust Hamas," Zeev Elkin, the head of the Knesset's foreign affairs and defense committee, told Israel radio.

Special correspondent Sobelman reported from Jerusalem and staff writer King from Istanbul.

Laura.King@latimes.com

@laurakingLAT

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