The Israel-Hamas ceasefire has broken down. This followed the stop of Israeli hostages being released by Hamas. Israel has launched 200 strikes so far, which will undoubtedly be followed by a renewed ground offensive.
During the ceasefire, Israel made clear that its ultimate goal of rooting out Hamas would not change. The Palestinian terror group no doubt understood this, and figured time was no longer on their side. The NY Times says:
A weeklong cease-fire in the Gaza Strip collapsed on Friday morning, with Israel and Hamas blaming each other for the breakdown of a truce that had allowed for the exchange of hundreds of hostages and prisoners, and that had briefly raised hopes for a more lasting halt to the fighting.
The Israeli military said it had launched 200 strikes since the resumption of fighting, some of which the country’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, witnessed from a seat in an Israeli attack helicopter flying over Gaza.
The humanitarian situation is worse in Gaza, with almost two hundred new deaths and countless injuries. While Palestinian hospitals have had some respite due to the truce, this could precipitate the deathtoll substantially. The Washington Post reports:
The Gaza Health Ministry reported Friday that 178 Palestinians had died after hostilities resumed. Patients with severe injuries overwhelmed what was left of Gaza’s health system, medical officials said.
“Hospitals have reached their darkest hour yet,” said Suhaib al-Hams, director of the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah. “There are no empty beds.”
Questions remain about how far Israel will invade into Gaza. So far, its occupation is relatively devoid of civilians, but this could soon change. Israeli soldiers in charge of administering Gaza refugee camps would put severe pressure on Israel’s own resources.
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