Israeli IDF soldiers perform maintenance on their Merkava tank in a forward staging area near the Gaza Strip on November 28, 2023. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI | License Photo
Israeli forces resumed military operations against Hamas just minutes after a 7 day military stand down expired, and as peacemakers scrambled to extend the truce for at least another day.
The IDF accused Hamas of firing weapons toward Israel in violation of the terms of the temporary Qatari-brokered peace deal, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by saying in a statement Friday that Hamas “didn’t respect its obligation to release today all the abducted women and launched rockets toward the citizens of Israel.” Advertisement
The Prime Minister said the goal of resuming combat operations is “to release the hostages, to liquidate Hamas” and to ensure the citizens of Israel are never again threatened by an attack from Gaza, he said.
An IDF spokesperson added Israel is “out to destroy” Hamas.
Maj. Doron Spielman told CNN Friday the IDF’s mission is to ensure that Hamas “can never commit this crime in Israel again, and along the way, bring our people home.”
Spielman added the military’s targets remain “Hamas strongholds, Hamas terrorists and where they shot the rocket launchers.” Advertisement
Sirens warned of an incoming rocket in Israel in the hour before the truce was due to expire Friday. The rocket was intercepted, but sirens have continued to wail in Israeli communities near Gaza ever since, as more incoming firepower rocked Israel.
“Sleeping Israelis once again woke up to the sound of the red siren of Hamas rockets falling at us once again from Gaza,” Spielman told CNN, adding that “there have been multiple rockets” that were intercepted Friday.
Spielman contended Hamas was not targeting troops, but firing rockets indiscriminately into Israel, threatening the lives of civilians and said the IDF had no choice but to respond, acknowledging that the response could, in turn, threaten civilians in Gaza.
“We don’t want to see Gaza civilians die, but Hamas is operating directly from within those areas, and we have to ask ourselves what is the alternative?” he said.
“If we do nothing, if we lay down our arms, we are just going to allow Hamas to carry out another massacre like October 7th. I think morally that is completely unconscionable,” he said.
Officials said they were still working toward securing a more permanent cease fire despite the resumption of fighting, or at least an extension of the temporary one that disintegrated on Friday. Advertisement
