At least 21 people have been killed since the Israeli army restarted
its war on Gaza during the early hour of 1 December, after a one-week
pause that saw the release of dozens of Israeli and Palestinian
prisoners.

According to local reports, the Al-Qassam Brigades – the armed wing of
Hamas – also resumed hostilities against the invading army in northern
Gaza. Furthermore, rocket attacks against Israel's southern
settlements have been reported, with sirens going off in the city of
Ashkelon.

As the fighting restarted in the besieged enclave, the Israeli prime
minister's office issued a statement claiming Hamas “violated the
framework, did not meet its obligation to release all hostage women,
and fired rockets at Israel.”

“Amid the return to combat, we stress the government of Israel is
committed to achieving the goals of the war — releasing our hostages,
eliminating Hamas, and ensuring that Gaza can never again threaten the
people of Israel,” the statement adds.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir took to social media on
Friday morning to say Hamas should be destroyed “without compromises,
without deals,” adding that the renewed bombardment of the world's
largest open-air prison must be conducted at “maximum power.”

For its part, Gaza's Ministry of Information released a statement that
places the blame on the US and its allies for the restart of the war.

"The international community, led by the United States of America,
represented by the US President and his Secretary of State, bears
responsibility for the crimes of the Israeli occupation and the
continuation of the brutal war against civilians, children, and women
in the Gaza Strip," the statement by the Hamas-run office reads.

Palestinians sheltering in the southern city of Khan Younis say
Israeli planes have again dropped leaflets warning civilians to
evacuate southwards towards Rafah – a city bordering Egypt that was
targeted by Israeli air raids earlier this morning.

“There is no shelter, no safe space for people in Gaza. Many of them
have lost their houses. Hospitals, UN facilities are packed with those
who have already evacuated from other areas,” journalist Hind Khoudary
told Al-Jazeera.

Members of the Israeli war cabinet are in favor of expanding the
ground invasion into the southern Gaza Strip, a senior security
official told Hebrew news outlet Walla on 17 November.

As Israeli jets once more took flight over Gaza, targeting residential
neighborhoods and vital infrastructure, the Washington Post reported
that US State Secretary Anthony Blinken “sped out of his hotel in
Israel on its way to the Tel Aviv airport.”

"Asked onboard his plane, Blinken declined to comment about the end of
the pause," the report adds.

On Thursday, Blinken made his fourth trip to Tel Aviv since 7 October
to meet with Israeli authorities. He reportedly warned them that the
longer Israel's ethnic cleansing campaign of Gaza goes on, the more
international pressure will build on both the US and Israel to stop
it.

In an attempt to counter this pressure, the Israeli army has published
a map splitting the Gaza Strip into hundreds of small zones, claiming
it will use this to “notify” Palestinians about “active combat zones.”

Despite the restart of hostilities, CNN and BBC reported on Friday
morning that efforts are ongoing to return to the truce in Gaza. The
Qatari office of AFP also cited an unidentified source who said the
same.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/israel-resumes-carpet-bombing-gaza-after-week-long-pause

"From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free"