Fighting broke out on Friday just hours after Israel and Gaza entered a 72-hour ceasefire, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violating the humanitarian truce.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry released a joint statement announcing the truce was by far the most ambitious bid to put an end to the deadly three-week violence. Israel and Gaza were supposed to negotiate long-term solutions in Cairo after the ceasefire, Reuters detailed.

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Two hours after the ceasefire commenced on Friday, the Gaza Interior Ministry and a Reuters photographer reported that Israeli tanks fired at the southern Rafah area, killing four people in the area. Hamas, on the other hand, said armed troops at the Gaza Strip broke the truce.

Israel did not report any casualty or damage from the fighting.

At least 1,459 Palestinians died and 7,000 others were wounded since Israel launched an offensive in Gaza in response to rocket attacks from across the border. Israel sustained 64 deaths and over 400 casualties from the attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced international pressure to withdraw his forces and end the bloodshed.

On Wednesday, another bout of violence killed 15 people taking refuge in a UN-operated school in Gaza.

According to an Israeli military spokeswoman, their ground forces in the Gaza Strip were destroying a network of tunnels that Hamas used to terrorize Israel's towns and military bases.

On Thursday, the army said they would be able to achieve this mission in a few days. The destruction of the Hamas tunnels could spell victory for Israel and would lead to the withdrawal of its troops from Gaza.

Hamas seeks to end the Israeli blockade at the Gaza border and ease the restrictions at the Rafah crossing. Israel, on the other hand, does not want to free up the borders unless the Islamist group is disarmed.

Previous international efforts to forge a humanitarian truce resulted only in shorter ceasefire periods. Some of the peace deals collapsed immediately after they were announced.

It took a huge diplomatic effort to achieve the truce, U.N. political affairs head Jeffrey Feltman told CNN. He said the Egyptians, Qataris and the Turks all exerted effort to bring the involved parties together.

While in New Delhi, Kerry said the parties need to find a solution to maintain the security of both the Israelis and the Palestinians. The latter also need to adjust to an environment that will foster education for their children and co-existence with other people, Kerry added.

TagsGaza, Israel, Reuters, Ban Ki Moon, John Kerry, U.S., Cairo, Gaza Interior Ministry, Rafah, Hamas, Benjamin Netanyahu, CNN, Fatah, Jeffrey Feltman, Egypt, Qatar, Turks, New Delhi, Palestinians