A rocket hits Beersheba during the 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza conflict. More than 200 rockets have been fired from Gaza at Israel in the current escalation of the conflict in the region. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

CBS News – An Israeli Cabinet minister warned Thursday that Israel will respond if Hamas resumes fire after a temporary truce expires in the Gaza Strip.

The statement, along with Hamas’ earlier threats, signals that both sides are digging in their positions – presumably to secure best terms for a deal — as negotiations continue in Cairo on a lasting truce and reconstruction for the war-battered coastal territory.

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