The Israeli army announced that sirens sounded today, Friday, warning of potential rocket fire in central Israel for the first time since the resumption of "hostilities between Israel and Hamas after a week-long truce." In contrast, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades issued a statement via their Telegram channel stating that they "targeted Tel Aviv with a barrage of rockets." Battles between Palestinian militants and the Israeli army have intensified on various fronts in the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli army resumed its military operations against the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) after accusing it of violating the temporary truce.
For seven days, the truce that began on November 24 and was extended twice allowed for the exchange of dozens of hostages held in Gaza for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and facilitated the entry of humanitarian aid into the coastal enclave. Israel stated that an hour before the truce ended at 7 AM (05:00 GMT), it intercepted a rocket launched from Gaza. Hamas has not yet commented on the rocket launch.
The army reported that sirens went off again in Israeli areas near Gaza just moments before the deadline. Palestinian media reported that Israel carried out air and artillery strikes across the strip, including Rafah near the border with Egypt, after the truce's end. The spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry noted that 32 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since the truce ended today. The al-Qassam Brigades launched consecutive rocket salvos targeting the city of Ashdod and large areas east of it for the second time within minutes.
Additionally, the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, stated in a statement that it attacked Israeli cities and towns on Friday morning "in response to the crimes of the Zionist enemy against our people." Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it was providing information to Gaza residents about secure areas they could move to. A witness told Reuters that they heard intense shelling and saw smoke rising east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. They added that people were fleeing the area to camps in western Khan Younis for shelter.
Al Jazeera reported that the Israeli airstrikes and shelling led to several casualties. The Israeli army confirmed that its planes are bombing Hamas targets in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that, with the resumption of fighting, Israel is committed to achieving its war objectives. Images posted on social media showed large plumes of black smoke rising above the densely populated Jabalia camp in Gaza. Israel has pledged to eradicate Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, in response to the attack carried out by the movement on October 7, which Israel reported resulted in the death of 1,200 individuals and the capture of 240 hostages. Israel responded with intense bombings and a ground invasion that, according to health authorities in Palestine, considered trustworthy by the United Nations, led to the death of more than 15,000 residents of Gaza.
On the mediation efforts front, the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that negotiations with the Israelis and Palestinians are still ongoing "to return to a state of truce." The statement mentioned that "the continuation of bombing in the early hours after the truce complicates mediation efforts."
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna deemed the resumption of the truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza as "necessary." The Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemned the resumption of what it called the "pointless Israeli aggression" on the Gaza Strip. The ministry’s spokesperson, Ambassador Sufyan al-Qudah, expressed the kingdom's strong rejection and condemnation of the resumption of Israeli aggression against Gaza and urged the international community to take responsibility and deter Israel from committing further crimes against civilians and end its senseless war on Gaza.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, described the collapse of the truce between Israel and Hamas as "catastrophic," urging all parties to ensure adherence to a ceasefire. Qatar and Egypt have made intensive efforts to extend the truce following the exchange of the latest group of eight hostages and 30 Palestinian prisoners yesterday, Thursday. Israel had previously set a minimum release of ten hostages daily that it would accept to stop the bombardment and its ground attack. With their release on Thursday, a total of 105 hostages and 240 Palestinian prisoners have been included in the exchange agreement.
Among the released hostages were six women aged between 21 and 40, including a dual Mexican-Israeli national and 21-year-old Maya Shaim, who holds both French and Israeli citizenship. Photos published by the Israeli Prime Minister's office show Shaim, who was kidnapped by Hamas along with others from an open-air music festival in southern Israel on October 7, reuniting with her mother and brother at the Hatzrim military base in Israel. Netanyahu’s office noted that the other two freed hostages are siblings Bilal and Aisha al-Zayadneh, aged 18 and 17, respectively, who are Arabs from Israel and part of a four-member family held hostage.
A senior Qatari negotiator, Abdullah al-Suleiti, who assisted in mediating the truce through marathon shuttle negotiations, recently acknowledged in an interview with Reuters that the chances of the truce continuing are uncertain. He expressed, in an article detailing for the first time the behind-the-scenes efforts, his initial belief that reaching an agreement would be the hardest step, only to find that maintaining the agreement itself poses an equally significant challenge.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while on his third tour in the Middle East since the war began, indicated that Israel agreed to protect civilians. The truce allowed for some humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza after the Israeli assault rendered much of the coastal enclave, home to 2.3 million people, into barren land. The Israeli Defense Ministry and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society stated that additional fuel and 56 trucks loaded with humanitarian supplies entered Gaza yesterday, Thursday. However, relief workers indicate that supplies of food, water, medical supplies, and fuel are still far below what is needed. Sources reported that Jordan's King Abdullah called on UN officials and international organizations in an emergency meeting in Amman yesterday Thursday to pressure Israel to allow more aid into the besieged enclave.
When the ceasefire first took effect a week ago, Israel was preparing to shift its operational focus to southern Gaza after a seven-week assault on the north. Blinken did not comment on the resumption of fighting as he was headed to Dubai. He stated yesterday, Thursday, that he informed Netanyahu that Israel could not repeat in southern Gaza what occurred in the north, resulting in heavy civilian casualties and population displacement. Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv, "We discussed the details of Israel's current plans and emphasized that it is essential for the United States to avoid a repetition of what occurred in the north with its heavy civilian casualties and population displacement in the south," clarifying that the Israeli government agreed to that.
