Despite intense negotiations during the night, the renewal of the truce did not take place in the end. The Israeli military resumed its strikes in the Gaza Strip on Friday, accusing Hamas of violating the week-long pause. Israeli forces said they intercepted a rocket fire, which was not immediately claimed, from the Gaza Strip about an hour before the truce was set for 6 a.m. French time.
In the aftermath, witnesses told AFP of intense flights of military aircraft and drones in the northwestern areas of Gaza City. Minutes after the expiry, an AFP journalist reported Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire on the town.
Strikes have resumed in part of the country
The Israeli army has confirmed that it has "resumed" its strikes on part of this territory. Earlier in the night, six Israelis were freed by Hamas, after two others during the day, and returned to Israel. The releases took place in exchange with Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
As part of the renewed fighting, the Israeli authorities have reinstated restrictions that were in place before the truce. In many parts of the country, schools can only open if they are equipped with a standard shelter. In a sign of a still fragile situation, Hamas claimed responsibility for a deadly attack in Jerusalem on Thursday that killed four Israelis, according to a new toll.
80 Israeli hostages freed against 240 Palestinian prisoners
The Islamist group said it was ready to extend the truce in the Gaza Strip, after a call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to continue the pause in fighting, hours before it expired on Friday. The truce, which was extended twice after it came into effect on 24 November, ended seven weeks of devastating Israeli bombardment of the besieged Palestinian territory. The strikes were fired in retaliation for the bloody attack launched on October 7 by Hamas on Israeli soil.
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The pause, brokered by Qatar, the United States and Egypt, resulted in the release of 80 Israeli hostages, women and children, and 240 Palestinian prisoners. About <> foreigners or dual nationals, mostly Thais working in Israel, were also released outside the agreement. The truce has also accelerated the arrival of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, where long convoys of trucks still entered on Thursday from Egypt.