Israel resumes strikes in Gaza after ceasefire ends

(BBC) Israel said it has resumed fighting with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In a post on X, the Israel Defense Forces said that Hamas had opened fire at Israel, therefore violating the terms of the truce agreement.

The US secretary of state delivered a powerful message to Israel about how to proceed from here.

Anthony Blinken said Benjamin Netanyahu had made it clear that Israel intends to resume its military operations, something that could happen within days.

But when it happens, Blinken said it could not be a repeat of the first, brutal weeks of Israel’s assault on Gaza.

First of all, he said, Israel had to put into place “humanitarian civilian protection plans” before going back to war, including “clearly and precisely designating” areas in central and southern Gaza where civilians can be “safe and out of the line of fire".

In other words, it simply won’t be enough for Israel to tell civilians to head for the tiny coastal area of al-Mawasi, as it has been insisting for weeks.

Then, Israel must avoid "further significant displacement of civilians". Washington doesn’t want to see tens of thousands of desperate civilians on the move. There must be no "enduring internal displacement".

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says operations against Hamas have resumed to "strike them in their strongholds".

Lt Col Peter Lerner told Newsday on the BBC World Service that the IDF's goals had remained the same throughout the conflict - to bring back all of the hostages and "destroy Hamas".

When asked where they were hitting targets, he said he couldn't say directly because of "operational concerns", but said the IDF "operate within the realm of the laws of armed conflict".

"Hamas did not stand to their word, of their agreement, to release all the women and children," he added.