At least 54 people have been killed in just a few hours since Israeli strikes resumed early Friday morning, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. The total Palestinian death toll now stands at more than 15,000.
Hamas officials have claimed they “seriously sought, and are still seeking a truce, even with the return of the Israeli aggression”.
“The solution is not to have a truce,” said Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan. “The real solution is to find mechanisms to put an end to Israeli occupation.”
The foreign ministry of Qatar, which brokered the initial pause in fighting, said that it “expresses its deep regret at the resumption of the Israeli aggression against Gaza”.
Talks are continuing about the possibility of resuming the temporary truce, though “the continued bombing of the Gaza Strip in the first hours after the end of the pause complicates mediation efforts and exacerbates the humanitarian catastrophe.”