Israelis kill two Hamas militants as ceasefire unravels

An Israeli airstrike killed two Hamas militants today while Palestinian militants bombarded southern Israel with home-made rockets, as a 16-month-old cease-fire unravelled and the two sides moved closer toward a broader conflict.

The violence complicated Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ efforts to persuade the Hamas-led government to endorse a document that would implicitly recognise Israel. In a new blow to Abbas, the Hamas prisoner who helped draft the proposal withdrew his name from the document, deepening internal Palestinian divisions ahead of a referendum on the plan.