New Delhi: Qatar has confirmed that negotiations to bring about another pause in the Israel-Hamas war were continuing, hours after the week-long truce expired Friday with no deal to extend it.
The Israel Defence Forces resumed “combat operations” in Gaza Friday morning, claiming Hamas had “violated the operational pause, and in addition, fired toward Israeli territory”. Israel’s military said that warplanes were bombing “terrorist targets” in the besieged enclave.
Hamas violated the operational pause, and in addition, fired toward Israeli territory.
The IDF has resumed combat against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/gVRpctD79R
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 1, 2023
According to the Gaza health ministry, the number of Palestinians killed since planes resumed pounding Gaza was at least 32, reported Reuters. Israel also said rocket sirens were sounded in the south of the country as Hamas’s armed wing launched attacks on towns close to the fence.
Qatar, which has been central to the truce negotiations, said Friday that it was committed, along with its mediation partners, in “continuing the efforts that led to the (first) humanitarian pause, and will not hesitate to do everything necessary to return to calm”.
In a post on X Friday, Qatar’s foreign ministry, however, said the continued bombing of Gaza complicated mediation efforts, calling on the “international community to move quickly to stop the violence”.
https://twitter.com/MofaQatar_EN/status/1730510697287553260/photo/1
Incidentally on Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the truce would be extended for an eighth day, citing Egyptian officials, but there was no confirmation of this as hours went by. Egypt, along with Qatar and the US, is also a crucial partner in the negotiations.
The Israel-Hamas war has raged on since 7 October, following the militant group’s murderous attack on Israel’s southern communities, which killed 1,200 people. The group, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, also took over 240 people hostage into the strip.
Israel retaliated with a massive aerial and ground offensive which flattened major swathes of Gaza and killed over 15,000 Palestinians.
After the six-week onslaught, as international voices grew louder for a ceasefire, Qatar and Egypt made a breakthrough to broker a four-day truce, which was extended twice to a total of seven days.
While Hamas released 110 hostages, Israel freed 240 Palestinians from its prisons during the truce.
Hostages released by Hamas include 78 Israeli and dual-nationals, three Israeli-Russian dual citizens, 23 Thai and one Filipino. Five others were previously released, including one who was rescued in an Israeli operation.
Meanwhile, Israel said Friday it was steadfast to its stated objectives behind the attack on Gaza. The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “With the resumption of fighting we emphasise: The Israeli government is committed to achieving the goals of the war — to free our hostages, to eliminate Hamas, and to ensure that Gaza will never pose a threat to the residents of Israel.”
The IDF also expanded its offensive to southern Gaza Friday, dropping leaflets on Khan Younis which said it was now a “fighting zone”. Residents were told to “evacuate immediately”.
On Thursday, Israel had recalled its ambassador to Madrid after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he had “serious doubts that Israel is complying with international humanitarian law”.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: How Qatar swayed Israel and Hamas to land a 7-day truce