AFP- Said Khatiba
Fighting resumed in Gaza on Friday immediately after the expiry of a week-long truce between Israel and Hamas.
An AFPTV live cam 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 5 am.
Hamas violated the operational pause, and in addition, fired toward Israeli territory.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 1, 2023
The IDF has resumed combat against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/gVRpctD79R
Marwan al-Hams, the director of Al-Najar Hospital in Rafah in southern Gaza, where many Palestinians fled after being told by Israel to leave the north of the territory, said strikes killed at least nine people in the city, including four children.
Elsewhere, two children were killed in air raids on Gaza City, said Fadel Naim, a doctor with AlAhli Hospital in the city.
A source close to Hamas told AFP the group's armed wing had received "the order to resume combat" and to "defend the Gaza Strip", with heavy fighting reported in parts of Gaza City.
Despite the resumption of fighting, talks between Qatari and Egyptian mediators were "ongoing", said a source briefed on the talks.
During the seven-day truce, dozens of hostages were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and more aid entered Gaza where about 80% of the population is displaced and grappling with shortages of food, water and other essentials.
