The hard-bargained temporary truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has broken down and military operations have resumed. Israel accused Hamas of violating the agreement by firing on Israel, while Hamas has yet to respond to the accusation.
The truce, which began last Friday and was extended two days after the release of some captives held by Hamas, was set to expire at 7 a.m. local time (midnight ET). However, as the deadline passed, hostilities resumed almost immediately.
Both Israel and Hamas had indicated they were ready to resume fighting. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Thursday: “We should be ready for a rapid transition to full-scale combat at any time, today, tomorrow, any time. As soon as we maximize the movement to return the hostages, we will resume fierce fighting throughout the Gaza Strip.”
Hamas' armed wing also told its forces to “maintain high combat readiness” in the final hours of the truce.
Egyptian and Qatari negotiators had been pushing to extend the pause in fighting in Gaza for an additional two days to facilitate the release of more Palestinian hostages and prisoners. However, negotiators warned that continuing to extend the truce to an eighth day could be a challenge.
In the seven-day lull in the fighting, 80 Israelis—mostly women and children, some of whom have dual citizenship—and 24 other foreigners have been freed. As of Thursday, 240 Palestinians had been released from Israeli prisons.
Under the terms of the truce agreement, Israel must release three Palestinians for every Israeli hostage released.
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