2023-12-03 05:32:00
It is Saturday morning in Gaza. That’s how things are
Israel on Friday resumed its military campaign aimed at ending Hamas after it said the group broke the seven-day truce by firing rockets into Israeli territory. The Israel Defense Forces also expanded its operations to the southern part of the enclave, prompting calls from world leaders for civilians to be protected.
Dozens of Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on Friday, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. Israel maintains that Hamas is embedding itself in civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals and playgrounds, that it uses for military purposes, making them legitimate targets.
On Friday night, negotiators were still trying to revive the truce. Hamas has said it has no more women and children to free, but Israel does not believe it, according to sources familiar with the talks.
Here’s what you should know:
What happened to the truce: Hamas said Thursday it was having trouble locating 10 hostage women and children — a condition Israel insisted must be met — to extend the truce. Hamas accused Israel of “rejecting all offers” to extend the agreement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office rejected that claim. Under the previous agreement, Hamas was to release 10 women and children hostages for each day of the truce, and three Palestinians would be released from Israeli prisons for each hostage.
Negotiations status: The negotiating parties — Israel and Hamas, in consultation with Qatar, the United States and Egypt — continue to discuss the release of the rest of the women hostages, according to a source. The Israel Defense Forces stated that there are a total of 136 hostages still in Gaza, 17 of whom are believed to be women and children. There is an understanding that a list of Hamas captives deemed acceptable by Israel would bring about a return to the truce, according to three sources familiar with the talks. Once the last group of women were freed, the parameters of negotiations would shift to other hostages: civilian men as well as military reservists, two sources said.
Israeli operations expand: The Israeli military claimed it “striked terrorist targets” in Gaza, including southern areas of the enclave where it had previously told civilians to take shelter. More than 200 targets have been attacked since 7 a.m. local time (midnight Miami), the IDF said.
Evacuation warnings: The Israel Defense Forces have unveiled a new interactive map showing Gaza divided into numbered districts and “evacuation zones” in order to reduce the number of casualties when attacks are carried out on civilian areas. Early Friday, the IDF dropped leaflets in areas of southern Gaza that included a QR code that connects to the map. However, Gaza’s electrical and telecommunications infrastructure has been severely damaged during weeks of bombing, leaving many residents without reliable access to the Internet and electricity.
Repercussions of Israeli attacks: The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry stated that since Israel resumed military operations, 178 people have been killed and hundreds more wounded, according to a spokesman. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to say whether the US had seen more deliberate attacks by Israel since fighting resumed. He also did not want to comment on the number of deaths indicated by the ministry.
World reaction: In the hours before the latest fighting broke out, the United States intensified its pressure on Israel to protect Palestinian civilians. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who boarded his plane to leave Israel moments after the IDF announced the resumption of fighting, declared that he had already seen Israel “take steps immediately today” to protect civilians. Jordan condemned the “resumption of Israeli aggression against Gaza” and called for an immediate ceasefire.
Palestinian detainees: More than 260 Palestinians were detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank during the now-expired truce period, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society. The group has reviewed the number of arrests several times this week. The IDF has publicly acknowledged at least 100 arrests during the truce through press releases.
What Israel knew about the October 7 attack: Israeli officials obtained a document outlining Hamas’s battle plan more than a year before the group carried out the assault, The New York Times reported Thursday, citing documents, emails and interviews. The document, about 40 pages, did not indicate the date, but described “point by point” the type of deadly incursion that Hamas would carry out. Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the plan, saying it would be too difficult for Hamas to execute, according to the Times.
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