Death – Obituary – Accident and Crime News : Israeli Military Resumes Combat in Gaza, Accuses Hamas of Violating Ceasefire Agreement
The Israeli military has announced that it has resumed combat in Gaza after accusing Hamas of violating the terms of the temporary ceasefire agreement. The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7 when Hamas militants launched a violent terror attack on southern Israel.
The ceasefire expired at 7 a.m. local time with no announcement of an extension from either side. About an hour before the deadline, the Israel Defense Forces reported that its missile defense system intercepted a rocket fired from Gaza towards Israeli territory. Hamas has not yet responded to Israel’s claim.
In a social media post, the IDF stated, “Hamas violated the operational pause and in addition, fired toward Israeli territory. The IDF has resumed combat against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.”
Sporadic air raid sirens were heard in southern Israel on Friday morning, and schools in central Israel were informed that they would only remain open if they had bomb shelters. Otherwise, classes would be conducted online.
Yesterday, eight Israeli hostages were freed from Gaza on the seventh day of the ceasefire, while 30 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel were also released. The ceasefire, which began on November 24, had been renewed twice. During this time, over 100 Hamas-held hostages and 240 Palestinian prisoners were released.
Despite the ceasefire, there were several incidents of violence, including a shooting on Thursday morning in Jerusalem where two gunmen opened fire on a crowded bus stop, killing three Israelis and injuring six others. Two of the wounded were U.S. citizens. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hamas alleged that the shooting was in response to the killing of children in the Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his visit to Israel, urged the country to protect Gaza civilians and minimize harm while neutralizing the threat posed by Hamas.
Among the Israeli hostages released on Thursday were siblings Aisha and Bilal Ziyadne, aged 17 and 18, who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Holit. Also freed was 21-year-old Mia Schem, a French-Israeli woman who appeared in a propaganda video released by Hamas in October.
Hamas claimed on Wednesday that three Israeli hostages, a mother, and her two children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli military reported that over 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed by Hamas militants during their invasion of southern Israel, while the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry stated that almost 15,000 people have been killed in Gaza by Israel’s retaliatory ground incursion and airstrikes.
The resumption of combat between Israel and Hamas signifies a setback in the efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire and peace in the region. The international community continues to monitor the situation closely and calls for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.