Israel's warplanes pounded Gaza, sending wounded and dead Palestinians into hospitals and residents into the streets to flee, as its war against Hamas resumed after talks to extend a week-old truce broke down.
As the deadline lapsed, Reuters journalists in Khan Younis in southern Gaza saw eastern areas come under intensive bombardment, sending columns of smoke rising into the sky. Residents took to the road with belongings heaped up in carts, fleeing for shelter further west.
In the north of the enclave, previously the main war zone, huge plumes of smoke rose above the ruins, seen from across the fence in Israel. The rattle of gunfire and thud of explosions rang out above the sound of barking dogs.
Rocket sirens also blared across southern Israel as militants fired from the coastal enclave into towns.
Within hours of the truce expiring, Gaza health officials reported that 54 people had already been killed and dozens wounded in air strikes that hit at least eight homes.
Medics and witnesses said the bombing was most intensive in Khan Younis and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of Gazans have been sheltering from fighting further north. Houses in central and northern areas were also hit.
The truce allowed them to gather up in southern Gaza which makes it easier for Israel to shoot the fish in a barrel. Seems like Israel may have only wanted the truce for public appearances and to make it easier to exterminate them
If Israel was looking to exterminate Palestinians whole cloth they could very easily already be doing so. They have unchecked military superiority and no nearby countries will accept Gazans.
A lot of them probably are dead, but Hamas also can’t hand over all their bargaining chips. What is keeping the IDF from completely wiping out Gaza once there are no more hostages there?
No amount of hostages being held will end this ear. Israel's stated purpose is the complete removal of Hamas as a political entity and the war will continue until they feel they have met that goal or international pressure forces a long-term end of hostilities.
They've had time to debrief the hostages who were returned. Interestingly enough, some were being held by NGO employees and doctors employed by WHO. But, that just gives the IDF more targets.
Probably that the IDF has no desire or interest in "wiping out Gaza".
They are quite interested in wiping out Hamas though. Of course, Hamas knows it will disastrously lose any real fight, so they make sure that taking them out will also necessarily require killing as many Gazans as possible.
Early Friday, shortly before the truce was set to end, Israel’s military said on the social media site X that it had intercepted a projectile fired from Gaza. Automated rocket alert systems reported that air-raid sirens had sounded in several areas of southern Israel, indicating rockets or shells had been fired from the territory.
Then, just after the 7 a.m. deadline passed, both the Israeli military and Gaza’s Interior Ministry reported that Israel was carrying out strikes across Gaza. Air-raid sirens sounded in several parts of southern Israel, indicating that Hamas or allied armed groups in Gaza had fired toward Israel.
This is a detail from the New York Times article that people might find relevant. Rockets were fired from Gaza before the ceasefire had expired, and Israel retaliated immediately after the 7am deadline. Make of that what you will.
Israel said that? I believe it 100% then, they've never lied especially on their social media. Oh hey, is that that same official Israel account that posted the fake hamas.com website as if it was real? The one that was cartoonishly evil with Hamas Testimonials, all written in English, and hosted on an Israeli server?
I don't think it's equally likely to have been a false flag, actually.
It is amusing though how openly you admit that, regardless of any facts at all, you're still going to blame Israel. You'll be more convincing if you at least pretend to not have a fixed position.