IDF pounds Gaza as ceasefire crumbles: Explosions rock Palestinian territory as hostilities against Hamas resume, despite hostages remaining trapped after the terror group fired a rocket into Israel in the final minutes of the six-day ceasefire
- The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas expired early Friday morning
- Negotiations broke down as dozens of hostages remain trapped in Gaza
- Israel announced it is relaunching its offensive, claiming Hamas has ‘violated’ ceasefire
Israel has relaunched a barrage of rocket fire and warplanes on Gaza after a six-day ceasefire expired after negotiations to free hostages collapsed.
The IDF claimed Hamas had prematurely “violated” the ceasefire and launched rockets into Israel in the early hours of Friday, with images shared on social media appearing to show attacks on the southern Israeli town of Sderot.
In response, the ‘IDF renewed fire against the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip’, the Israeli army announced on Xformerly Twitter.
Just under an hour before the ceasefire officially ended, the IDF also joined in claimed on X that it had “intercepted” another attack, and later claimed that Hamas had carried out a “number” of launches before the ceasefire ended.
Israel has announced it will resume its siege of Gaza after the ceasefire with Hamas expired. Israel has claimed that the terrorist group prematurely “violated” the ceasefire with rocket fire. In the photo: the extensive damage to Gaza City on the day the ceasefire began, November 24, 2023
Northern Gaza quickly became the epicenter of the renewed conflict when the IDF announced it would deploy fighter jets to the Gaza Strip
Shortly after the IDF announced the resumption of its offensive, Palestinian media reported extensive military attacks in northern Gaza.
Heavy clashes in Gaza City and the northern region of the Gaza Strip broke out soon after the announcement, amid reports that tanks had been placed in the area.
In a tweet half an hour after the relaunch, the IDF said it had deployed “fighter aircraft” to attack “targets of the terrorist organization Hamas” targeting the Gaza Strip.
Hours before the ceasefire ended in Gaza on Friday morning (midnight ET), footage purportedly showed rocket sirens sounding near the Israel-Palestine border.
According to footage posted on social media According to a reporter from Yeshiva World News, a Jewish outlet, sirens were heard in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, followed by sounds of a large explosion.
Further surveillance video also appeared to show a missile launch towards Sderot, intercepted by the Iron Dome. It is unclear whether the reports of an explosion in Sderot are the same incident that the Israeli army claimed to have intercepted.
Reports on Telegram communications from the Shehab News Agency, which is considered affiliated with Hamas, claim that gunfire and several explosions hit northern Gaza earlier on Friday.
An IDF soldier patrols a combat zone as the ceasefire with Gaza came to an end
Before the deadline for the ceasefire expired, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was open to another extension, conditional on the release of more hostages.
Officials initially expected the ceasefire to end Thursday morning before being extended with just a few minutes left.
Israel had agreed to halt its retaliatory attacks on Gaza for one day for every ten hostages released, with two more captured Israelis set to be released on Thursday afternoon.
The ceasefire had come into effect on November 24 and was initially intended to end on Monday as multiple extensions raised hopes among some that the Middle East’s worst fighting in recent history could be halted amid the ongoing negotiations.
But hours before the ceasefire was due to expire, the region was hit by the first rocket fire in almost six days.