Israel resumes offensive in Gaza after seven-day truce

After the Israel-Hamas truce ended on Friday morning, Israeli fighter jets attacked several targets in southern Gaza. Israel also dropped leaflets over parts of Gaza that told civilians to leave their homes before it continued the offensive. Israel’s goals are to free hostages, eliminate Hamas, and make sure that Gaza never again threatens Israel, according to a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Friday.

Why did the truce end? Netanyahu said that the cease-fire ended because Hamas violated the terms of the truce, stating that the militant group did not release all of the hostages they agreed to while also launching rockets at Israeli citizens. Hamas blamed Israel for resuming the conflict, saying that the country refused all offers Hamas made to release more hostages. During the seven-day truce, Hamas released over 100 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas is estimated to be still holding 140 other hostages.

Dig deeper: Read Tyler O’Neil’s column in WORLD Opinions about the left’s generational battle over Israel.