Israel-Hamas war resumes as weeklong truce expires

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli fighter jets hit Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday shortly after a weeklong truce expired, the military said, as the war resumed in full force.

Airstrikes hit southern Gaza, including the community of Abassan east of the town of Khan Younis, the Interior Ministry in the Hamas-run territory said. Another strike hit a home northwest of Gaza City.

Loud, continuous explosions were heard coming from the Gaza Strip and black smoke billowed from the territory.

In Israel, sirens blared at three communal farms near Gaza warning of incoming rocket fire, suggesting Hamas had also resumed its attacks.

The Israeli military’s announcement of the strikes came 30 minutes after the cease-fire expired at 7 a.m. local time Friday (9 p.m. PST Thursday).

Earlier Friday, Israel accused Hamas of having violated the terms of the cease-fire, including by firing rockets toward Israel from Gaza.

The halt in fighting began a week ago, on Nov. 24. It initially lasted for four days, and then was extended for several days with the help of Qatar and fellow mediator Egypt.

During the weeklong truce, Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza released more than 100 hostages, most of them Israelis, in return for 240 Palestinians freed from prisons in Israel.

Virtually all of those freed were women and children, but the fact that few such hostages remained in Gaza complicated reaching a deal for a further extension.

Hamas, a terrorist group that has ruled Gaza for 16 years, had also been expected to set a higher price for the remaining hostages, especially Israeli soldiers. About 140 hostages remain in Gaza, with more than 100 having been freed as part of the truce.

Qatar and Egypt, which have played a key role as mediators had sought to prolong the truce by another two days.

On the final day of the truce on Thursday, Hamas terrorists freed eight Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of 30 more Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas terrorists freed six hostages hours after releasing two Israeli women Thursday afternoon. All were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza after eight weeks in captivity.

They were brought to Israel for medical evaluations and to be reunited with their families, the Israeli military said.

At least 10 Israelis a day, along with other nationals, had been released during the truce, in return for Israel’s release of at least 30 Palestinian prisoners.

Asked why Hamas on Thursday was releasing fewer than 10 hostages, as outlined in the cease-fire agreement, the military’s chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, noted that 12 Israeli citizens had been released the day before, implying that the overall total had met Israeli demands.

“We insist on the maximum each day,” he said.

Israel had vowed to resume the fighting — with the goal of dismantling Hamas — once the cease-fire ended.

Talks grew more thorny

The talks had appeared to be growing tougher, with Hamas having already freed most of the women and children it kidnapped on Oct. 7.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials on his third visit to the region since the start of the war, had said he hoped the cease-fire could be extended and more hostages could be released.

“This process is producing results. It’s important, and we hope that it can continue,” he said.

On Thursday morning, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on people waiting for buses along a main highway entering Jerusalem, killing at least three people and wounding several others, according to Israeli police.

The two attackers, brothers from a neighborhood in annexed east Jerusalem, were killed.

After the attack, six other members of the family were detained, and the government ordered their house be demolished. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, casting it as retaliation for the killing of women and children in Gaza and the West Bank and other Israeli “crimes.”

About 30 women, kids still held

The initial truce, which began a week ago and was extended twice, called for the release of women and children. Israeli officials say Gaza terrorists still hold around 30 women and children.

It’s not clear how many of the remaining women hostages might be soldiers. Israel says around 125 men are still held hostage, including several dozen soldiers.

With Thursday’s releases, a total of 83 Israelis, including dual nationals, were freed during the truce, most of whom appeared to be physically well but shaken. Another 24 hostages — 23 Thais and one Filipino — were also released, including several men.

Before the cease-fire, Hamas released four hostages, and the Israeli army rescued one. Two others were found dead in Gaza.

Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists killed over 1,200 people — mostly civilians — in their wide-ranging attack across southern Israel that day and took around 240 people captive.

Israel’s retaliatory bombardment and ground invasion in Gaza have killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Israel says 77 of its soldiers have been killed in the ground offensive. Israel also says it has killed thousands of terrorists.