Israel bombs Gaza again as fighting resumes after end of ceasefire period
The Israeli army resumed its fighting in the Gaza Strip on Friday, at around 7am local time, after its truce with Hamas ended without further extension agreement in place.
Reports of rockets and gunfire emerged in the hour before the temporary truce expired, reported Al Jazeera.
Israel accused Hamas of violating the agreement.
“Hamas violated the operational pause, and in addition, fired toward Israeli territory. The IDF has resumed combat against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza,” the Israeli Defence Forces said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas or claims of responsibility for the launches.
Reports are now emerging about heavy gunfire and shelling in the north and east of Gaza. Al Jazeera journalists in the enclave said Israeli air raids have resumed, and aircraft could be heard hovering overhead.
Witnesses in Gaza City said heavy clashes were taking place between Palestinian fighting groups and Israeli troops. There were also reports of air raids and artillery fire in the city. In central Gaza, Israeli tanks were shelling near Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps.
The seven-day pause in fighting, which began on November 24 and was extended twice, had 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 shattered coastal strip.
Qatar and Egypt have been making intense efforts to extend the truce following the exchange on Thursday of the latest batch of eight hostages and 30 Palestinian prisoners.
Thursday's releases brought the total number of prisoners freed during the truce to 105 hostages and 240 Palestinians.
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