The fragile, week-long truce that offered a sliver of hope in the war-torn Gaza Strip has been shattered. The early morning calm on Friday was violently broken by renewed Israeli airstrikes, plunging the region back into a state of high alert and despair as the conflict resumed.
According to initial reports from Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 15 people have been killed and dozens more wounded in the first few hours of renewed hostilities. The collapse of the ceasefire, which had facilitated the exchange of dozens of Israeli hostages for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, came amidst a flurry of accusations from both sides.
Accusations Fly as Ceasefire Collapses
The truce officially expired at 7 a.m. local time, and moments later, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the resumption of combat operations. Each side claims the other was the first to violate the terms of the temporary peace, leading to the breakdown of negotiations that had been mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States.
Israel’s Position: Hamas Violated the Truce
The IDF stated that it resumed combat because Hamas had breached the agreement. “Hamas violated the operational pause, and in addition, fired towards Israeli territory,” an IDF statement read. Israeli officials reported that their Iron Dome air defence system intercepted a rocket fired from Gaza prior to the deadline, prompting their decision to restart military action against the “Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.”
Hamas’s Counter-Claim: Israel Rejected New Deals
Conversely, Hamas and sources in Gaza place the blame squarely on Israel. They accused Israeli negotiators of rejecting proposals to extend the truce, which would have involved the release of more hostages and prisoners. A source close to Hamas claimed they had offered to release elderly hostages and the bodies of some deceased captives, but the talks ultimately broke down. The Qatari foreign ministry confirmed that negotiations to reinstate the truce were ongoing but had been “complicated” by the renewed bombardment.
Humanitarian Crisis Worsens for Gazans
For the 2.3 million residents of Gaza, the return to war is a waking nightmare. The seven-day pause had allowed civilians a brief respite to search for missing relatives, seek scarce food and water, and tend to the wounded. Eyewitnesses in Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza reported intense Israeli airstrikes Friday morning. Plumes of black smoke once again stain the skyline, and the sound of sirens has returned to Israeli communities bordering the strip.
International Dismay and Fears for Remaining Hostages
The international community has reacted with dismay. Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “deep regret” over the resumption of Israeli aggression. The breakdown of the truce also throws the fate of the more than 130 hostages still believed to be held by Hamas into grave uncertainty. Their families in Israel, who had seen a glimmer of hope with each release, are now plunged back into a state of agonizing worry.
As the blame game continues, the grim reality is that the machinery of war is grinding once more. The critical question now is not just who breached the truce first, but whether mediators can pull the warring parties back from the brink before this new chapter of violence spirals further out of control.
