Italy express concerns over Gaza escalation

The Italian Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed "deep concern" over the recent escalations along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.

The ministry in a statement said: "The Foreign Ministry expresses deep concern and condemns the escalation of violence between Gaza and Israel in the last few hours."

"The Foreign Ministry hopes that self-restraint prevail, that violence stop and that the cease-fire be respected by all the parties involved. The escalating violence once again reveals the urgent need to work for a political solution in Gaza and to solve the humanitarian crisis in the Strip," added the statement.

Recent weeks and months have seen tensions steadily mount along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.

Late Thursday, a Palestinian source told Anadolu Agency that Israel and Gaza-based resistance factions had hammered out a truce -- brokered by Egypt -- aimed at restoring calm to the region.

If confirmed, it would be the fifth such temporary truce to have been reached within the last two months following a round of tit-for-tat hostilities.

The last round of hostilities erupted on Tuesday when the Israeli army killed two members of Hamas's military wing in an airstrike.

According to the Israeli army, as many as 180 rockets have been recently fired into Israeli territory from Gaza, 30 of which were intercepted by Israeli air-defense systems.

At least nine Israelis have been injured by rockets recently fired from Gaza, according to Israeli media reports.