The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was broken on Friday morning and exchanges of fire resumed after seven days of a truce that allowed the release of some hostages held by the Islamist group in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, official sources reported.
“Hamas violated the pause in operations and also fired into Israeli territory. “The Israeli armed forces have resumed the fight against the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip.”The Israeli army reported this in a statement.
Just before 6:00 a.m. local time (4:00 GMT), anti-aircraft sirens began activating in Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip. “According to the initial report about the sirens at Kibbutz Holit, Several launches from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory have been identified. “The launches were not intercepted according to protocol,” an army spokesman said.
“Israeli Defense Forces fighter jets are currently attacking Hamas terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip,” he added. This was confirmed by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Interior Ministry “Israeli aircraft are flying over the Gaza Strip and their vehicles have opened fire in the northwest of the enclave.”
The Israeli government said Friday it was “committed to achieving the war’s goals,” including the complete annihilation of Hamas following the collapse of the ceasefire. “The Hamas-Islamic State terrorist organization violated the plan, failed to fulfill its obligation to release all kidnapped women today and fired rockets against the citizens of Israel,” said a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
According to Palestinian media, Israeli attacks hit the north and south of the Palestinian enclave, including residential areas, and have already resulted in new injuries. Aside from that, Hamas fighters clash with Israeli ground forces on Salah Al-Din Street. which served to evacuate displaced people from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip.
Thursday was the seventh and final day of a ceasefire negotiated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States under an agreement that called for the release of hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and the provision of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
In total, 105 hostages were released, including 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners, and 240 Palestinian prisoners were released. all women and minors.
The ceasefire, which began on November 24, marked a pause in the war that broke out on October 7 after an attack by Hamas’ armed wing in which thousands of rockets were fired at Israel and the United States Infiltration of about 3,000 militiamen who massacred about 1,200 people and they kidnapped another 240 in Israeli villages near the Gaza Strip.
Since then, and until the start of the ceasefire, Israeli forces waged a relentless offensive by air, land and sea against the Palestinian enclave, leaving more than 15,000 people dead, thousands more buried under rubble and nearly two million people displaced They are experiencing a serious humanitarian crisis due to the collapse of hospitals and the lack of housing, drinking water, food, medicine and electricity.
On Thursday, during an official visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on the Israeli leadership to refrain from resuming the military offensive in the Gaza Strip unless a concrete plan to protect Palestinian civilians is put in place.
The United States does not want to see a repeat of “the massive loss of civilian life and displacement (of people) on the scale seen in the north” in the south of the Palestinian enclave, Blinken said, explaining that Israel’s plan must include: “the Accurately designating areas in central and southern Gaza where civilians can be safe and out of the line of fire prevents massive internal displacement and damage to essential infrastructure such as hospitals, power generators and water utilities.
Qatar worked with its regional and international partners to reach a lasting ceasefire in the face of increasing international pressure. EFE