Four killed in Gaza as Egypt raises new truce proposal

GAZA CITY, Aug 25 (AFP): Violence reverberated across Gaza on Monday with four Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes as Egypt proposed a new ceasefire that would open key crossings into the blockaded territory.
Since an earlier ceasefire arrangement collapsed on August 19, the death toll in Gaza has risen steadily with 106 Palestinians killed in more than 350 Israeli air strikes across the territory.
Over the same period, more than 650 rockets have struck Israeli territory, one of which killed a four-year-old boy over the weekend, army figures show. Around 100 rockets were shot down.
Since midnight, Israeli strikes have killed four Palestinians, including two women and a three-year-old boy, raising the Gaza death toll to 2,124.
On the Israeli side, 68 people have been killed, the vast majority soldiers.
Another 38 rockets fired from Gaza struck the Israeli south on Sunday, while another was shot down, army statistics showed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday Israel would not be worn down by persistent rocket fire, warning it would hit any place from which militants were firing, including homes.
His remarks came as the air force stepped up its campaign against rocket fire, bombarding a 12-storey residential block.
 "We would be willing to accept this, but are waiting for the Israeli response to this proposal," he said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.