By Al-Fassel and AFP | 2023-12-01

Fighting resumed in Gaza on Friday (December 1) immediately after the expiry of a week-long truce between Israel and Hamas, with Israel stating Hamas had "violated" the truce by firing a rocket.

Israel's army said it intercepted a rocket fired from Gaza, the first from the Palestinian territory since a missile launched minutes into the start of the truce on November 24.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said fighting had restarted after Hamas "violated" the truce.

An AFPTV livecam showed a heavy cloud of grey smoke rolling over northern Gaza, and apparent sounds of automatic weapons fire and explosions within the first 90 minutes after the truce expired at 0500 GMT.

Israel's military said fighter jets were "currently striking" Hamas targets in Gaza, and AFP journalists reported air strikes in the north and south of the territory.

Sirens warning of potential missile fire sounded around several communities near Gaza in the hour after the fighting resumed, and Israeli authorities said they were restarting security measures in the area including closing schools.

A source close to Hamas said the group's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, had received "the order to resume combat" and to "defend the Gaza strip," with heavy fighting reported in parts of Gaza City.

A statement from Netanyahu's office stressed that Israel "is committed to achieving the goals of the war: Releasing the hostages, eliminating Hamas and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to the residents of Israel."

"Unfortunately, Hamas decided to terminate the pause by failing to release all the kidnapped women," government spokesman Eylon Levy told a briefing Friday.

"Having chosen to hold onto our women, Hamas will now take the mother of all thumpings."

Hamas on Thursday also claimed responsibility for a deadly gun attack at a bus stop in west Jerusalem in which three Israelis were killed.

Talks continue despite fighting

"I deeply regret that military operations have started again in Gaza," United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on X.

"I still hope that it will be possible to renew the pause that was established. The return to hostilities only shows how important it is to have a true humanitarian ceasefire."

Despite the resumption of fighting, talks between Qatari and Egyptian mediators were "ongoing," said a source briefed on the talks.

Qatar on Friday urged swift international action to stop violence.

In a statement, the Qatari foreign ministry said continued bombing at the end of the pause "complicates mediation efforts and exacerbates the humanitarian catastrophe in the [Gaza] strip."

But it confirmed negotiations between Israel and Hamas "are continuing with the aim of returning to a pause."

The ministry added it was "committed, along with its mediation partners, to continuing the efforts that led to the humanitarian pause, and will not hesitate to do everything necessary to return to calm."

During the seven-day truce, dozens of hostages were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and more aid entered Gaza.

In Gaza, about 80% of the population is displaced and grappling with shortages of food, water and other essentials.

Protecting the lives of civilians

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meeting Israeli and Palestinian officials, called for the pause in hostilities to be extended, and warned any resumption of combat must protect Palestinian civilians.

Washington wants "to see this process continue to move forward," Blinken said.

"We want an eighth day and beyond."

Other world leaders, and aid groups, had also sought an extended pause.

A source close to Hamas said the group backed another extension and mediators were working to prolong the pause, but the negotiations appeared to have failed.

The truce had paused fighting that began on October 7 when Hamas carried out a terrorist attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping more than 200.

During the truce brokered by Qatar, with support from Egypt and the United States, 80 Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

More than 20 foreigners, most of them Thais living in Israel, were freed outside the scope of the agreement.

Israel had made clear it viewed the truce as a temporary pause to secure the release of hostages.

"We swore... to eliminate Hamas, and nothing will stop us," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office, after meeting with Blinken.

Gaza 'evacuation zones'

Blinken had warned that any resumed military operation by Israel "must put in place humanitarian civilian protection plans that minimize further casualties of innocent Palestinians."

Specifically, Israel must "clearly and precisely" designate areas "in southern and central Gaza, where they can be safe and out of the line of fire," he said.

The Israeli army said on Friday that with the resumption of fighting it had published a map to advise Gaza residents of what it called "evacuation zones."

The map, which is in Arabic, divides Gaza into hundreds of numbered sectors.

The military said it was intended to enable residents to "evacuate from specific places for their safety if required."

Residents in multiple numbered areas were sent SMS warnings on Friday.

"The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will begin a crushing military attack on your area of residence with the aim of eliminating the terrorist organization Hamas," the warnings said, urging people to seek some shelter.

"Stay away from all military activity of every kind," they added.

International bodies have called for more time to get medical supplies, food and fuel into Gaza, where an estimated 1.7 million people have been forced from their homes.

The truce had allowed people to return to the ruins of their homes to pick through the rubble for remaining belongings and provided a sense of safety after weeks of daily bombardment.