The temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has ended. It ended on Friday morning, and Hamas broke the agreement.
About an hour before the cease-fire was set to expire at 7 a.m. local time (midnight Eastern), the Israeli military said the country’s missile defense system had detected and intercepted a rocket fired toward Israeli territory from Gaza. Air raid sirens were heard in southern Israel Friday morning and schools in central Israel were told to open only if they have bomb shelters. Otherwise, classes were to be held remotely.
“Hamas violated the operational pause and in addition, fired toward Israeli territory,” the IDF said in a social media post. “The IDF has resumed combat against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.”
Israel has already responded since Hamas’ breaking of the cease-fire. Israeli war planes hit targets in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 60 people, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in the Palestinian territory, as rocket warning sirens blared in southern Israel.
Qatar, where negotiations have been taking place for weeks and where the terms of the cease-fire were agreed, released a statement expressing “deep regret” at the resumption of the war. It said “negotiations between the two sides are continuing with the aim of returning to a pause.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on his third visit to Israel since the war began, met Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and cautioned Israel to protect civilians in Gaza.
“Israel has one of the most sophisticated militaries in the world,” Blinken told reporters. “It is capable of neutralizing the threat posed by Hamas while minimizing harm to innocent men, women and children. And it has an obligation to do so.”
To hear Tony Katz’s thoughts on Hamas breaking the cease-fire, click the link below.
