After Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza this weekend, violence has started up again after Hamas rejected and breached the terms of the truce on Saturday night.
According to the Sun Herald, the Israel Cabinet extended a truce for 24 hours until Sunday at midnight, but also stated that they would “respond to any fire from Gaza” and demolish any Hamas military tunnels they find during this time.
The ceasefire allowed Palestinian residents to return to their rubbled homes, where medics were able to collect nearly 150 bodies from the past 19 days of fighting.
The site reports:
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said any truce must include a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and that tens of thousands of displaced people must be allowed to return to their homes. Israel’s current terms are “not acceptable,” he said in a text message to journalists.
In the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, scores of homes had been pulverized, wreckage blocked roads and power cables dangled in the streets. Hardest hit were areas close to the border with Israel, areas from where Gaza militants typically fire rockets.
Despite the 12-hour truce, the BBC is reporting that the death toll in Gaza has now risen to 985, with 39 of those being Israelis.
According to the site:
International talks on a longer truce have resumed in Paris.
Israel said it would continue to “locate and neutralise” Hamas tunnels during the pause, which began at 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT).
So far 31 tunnels have been discovered, with about half destroyed, Israeli’s military says.
Multiple reports say that Hamas breached the truce it was asking for. TimesOfIsrael states in an article:
“A humanitarian truce was unilaterally ended by Hamas on Saturday night, when it resumed rocket fire.”
After the ceasefire officially ended, the Gaza strip faced more shelling, already killing five more Palestinians, according to Aljazeera.
The Israeli military released a statement revealing their decision to resume “aerial, naval and ground activity to Hamas’s incessant rocket fire throughout the humanitarian window, which was agreed upon for the civilian population in Gaza.”
The site reports:
Al Jazeera’s Nicole Johnston, reporting from Gaza City, said there was tank shelling in the east of the Strip, and naval ships pounded the beaches in the west. There were also several air strikes.
An air strike in central Gaza City hit al-Shoroq building, which houses foreign and local media, including Hamas-affiliated al-Aqsa TV. The media offices were evacuated earlier this week.
Earlier on Sunday, Palestinian fighters resumed rocket attacks into Israel, firing 20 rockets overnight and into the morning. Air-raid sirens sounded throughout southern and central Israel during morning rush hour.
We will keep you updated as more details emerge.
SOURCE: Sun Herald, BBC, Aljazeera, TimesOfIsrael | PHOTO & VIDEO CREDIT: NDN, Getty
