Deadly Fighting Resumes in Gaza as the Truce Expires

AFP/APP

Gaza Strip: Fighting resumed in Gaza early Friday immediately after a week-long truce between Hamas and Israel expired, with fatalities reported within minutes, health officials in the Palestinian territory said.

An AFPTV live camera showed thick grey smoke rising over northern Gaza shortly after the ceasefire ended at 0500 GMT. Sounds of automatic gunfire and explosions were heard within the first 90 minutes. Israel’s military said its fighter jets were “currently striking” Hamas targets across the enclave, while AFP correspondents reported air strikes in both northern and southern Gaza.

Marwan al-Hams, director of Al-Najar Hospital in Rafah, said at least nine people, including four children, were killed in strikes on the southern city, where many Palestinians had sought refuge after being urged by Israel to evacuate the north. In Gaza City, two children were killed in separate air raids, according to Fadel Naim, a doctor at Al-Ahli Hospital.

A source close to Hamas said the group’s armed wing had received orders to “resume combat” and defend Gaza. The renewed hostilities followed Israel’s announcement that it had intercepted a rocket fired from Gaza — the first since a missile was launched shortly after the truce began on November 24.

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The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas had “violated” the truce, prompting Israel to restart military operations. “The Government of Israel is committed to achieving the goals of the war: releasing the hostages, eliminating Hamas, and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to the residents of Israel,” it said in a statement.

Sirens warning of possible missile fire sounded in Israeli communities near Gaza, and authorities reinstated security restrictions, including school closures.

Despite the renewed fighting, mediation efforts led by Qatar and Egypt, with support from the United States, were reported to be continuing. During the seven-day pause, 80 Israeli hostages were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners, and humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza increased.

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged both sides to extend the truce and stressed that any renewed military operations must prioritize civilian protection. Other world leaders and aid agencies also called for an extended ceasefire.

The conflict began on October 7, when Hamas militants crossed into Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking approximately 240 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. Israel responded with an air and ground campaign in Gaza that Hamas officials say has killed more than 15,000 people, mostly civilians.

During the truce brokered by Qatar, additional foreign nationals were also released, including Thai workers held in Gaza. Israel’s prison service confirmed that 30 more Palestinian prisoners were freed late Thursday as part of the exchange.

Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s objective to eliminate Hamas, stating after talks with Blinken that “nothing will stop us.” However, international pressure has mounted on Israel to clarify measures to safeguard civilians in Gaza, where an estimated 1.7 million people have been displaced.

Blinken said any resumed Israeli offensive must include “humanitarian civilian protection plans” and clearly designated safe areas in southern and central Gaza.

The truce had provided temporary relief for residents, allowing some to return to damaged homes and gather belongings amid a pause in bombardment. “We are afraid that the truce will end, so the problems and the bombings will start again,” Gaza City resident Mohamad Naasan said.

Violence has also intensified in the occupied West Bank, where nearly 240 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, according to Palestinian health officials.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that Israeli authorities had obtained a Hamas blueprint outlining plans for a large-scale attack prior to October 7 but assessed it as aspirational, even after indications of related training exercises.

Mediation efforts are ongoing, but the resumption of hostilities signals a return to intense conflict following a brief humanitarian pause.