Israel unleashed a new wave of strikes on Gaza, ending a break in fighting during which 33 Israeli hostages were returned in return for the release of nearly 1,800 Palestinian prisoners, the AP reports. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in talks to extend the ceasefire, while Defense Minister Israel Katz said fighting would continue until all hostages were released. Hamas accused Israel of upending the ceasefire agreement and said the renewed strikes had put the fate of the remaining hostages in jeopardy. Palestinian officials reported at least 200 deaths in the new strikes.
The surprise attack shattered a period of relative calm during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and raised the prospect of a full return to fighting in a 17-month war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza. It also raised questions about the fate of the roughly two dozen Israeli hostages held by Hamas who are believed to still be alive, the AP reports.
Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians. Hamas already held two other hostages who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two soldiers killed in the 2014 war. Hostage exchanges or other deals have seen 147 released, eight of whom were dead; Israeli troops have also retrieved the bodies of 41 hostages and rescued eight living hostages. Another 59 remain in captivity, 35 of whom Israel believes are dead. More than 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants.
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