Hamas militants fired a barrage of rockets and mortar shells towards Israel today and said they considered a five-month truce to have ended.

Israel celebrated its 59th independence day today with millions enjoying barbecues in gardens and parks while lamenting rising corruption and the depressing after-effects of the summer’s inconclusive war in Lebanon.

Sirens sounded across Israel this morning, bringing life to a standstill as millions of Israelis observed a moment of silence to honour the memory of the victims of the Holocaust.