Hamas tells its fighters to prepare for battle if truce not renewed

Hamas' armed wing told its fighters in the Gaza Strip to be ready to resume battles with Israel if a temporary truce set to expire on Thursday at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) is not renewed.

Hamas' armed wing told its fighters in the Gaza Strip to be ready to resume battles with Israel if a temporary truce set to expire on Thursday at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) is not renewed. "The Al-Qassam Brigades asks its active forces to maintain high combat readiness in the last hours of the truce," the militant group said in a statement.

Fighters should "remain on such footing unless an official statement is issued confirming the extension of the truce," the statement added. (Writing by Rami Ayyub)