Hamas-controlled health ministry, 32 killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza
Gaza: The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza claimed 32 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the besieged area, which resumed on Friday after the collapse of a seven-day ceasefire.
According to CNN report, earlier the ministry had said that 14 people had been killed.
A ministry official said that most of the dead were women and children.
In a separate statement, the Interior Ministry confirmed that Israeli attacks had resumed in Gaza.
The Hamas-controlled government media office has blamed the US and the international community for the resumption of fighting in Gaza after a week-long ceasefire, during which 240 Palestinians, 86 Israelis and 24 foreign nationals were released.
The office said the US and the international community “take responsibility for the crimes of the Israeli occupation and its continuing brutal war against civilians, children and women in the Gaza Strip”, CNN reported.
It states that Palestinians have the right to defend themselves “by all means” and to establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The ceasefire, which was renewed at the last minute for a seventh day on Thursday, expired at 7 am local time (about 10.30 am IST) on Friday morning.
Thursday’s extension was the second extension of an initial four-day ceasefire that began on November 24.
On Tuesday it was extended for two days.
Earlier in the day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the military had resumed combat operations against Hamas in Gaza, accusing the militant group of violating a ceasefire agreement by firing toward the Jewish state. Due to which the seven-day ceasefire has ended.
In a post on Twitter, the IDF said: “Hamas violated the operational cease-fire, and in addition, fired toward Israeli territory. The IDF has resumed fighting against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza.
Shortly before the ceasefire ended, sirens sounded in southern Israel and the Israeli military said it shot down a rocket fired from Gaza, the BBC reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday accused Hamas of breaking the ceasefire “by refusing to release all the hostage women today and by launching rockets at Israeli civilians”.
The resumption of hostilities is likely to worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, amid shortages of essential supplies.
More than 14,800 Palestinians have been killed since Hamas launched its major offensive against Israel on October 7.
Israel reported more than 1,200 casualties, including foreign nationals.
