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The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has ended, with Israeli fighter jets launching strikes in the Gaza Strip following Hamas’s rejection of multiple hostage exchange proposals, according to officials.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has initiated strikes against Hamas targets throughout Gaza “to achieve the war objectives set by the political leadership, including the release of all our hostages—both the living and the fallen,” according to a statement from Defense Minister Israel Katz’s office.
“This decision follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages and rejection of all proposals presented by U.S. President’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, as well as the mediators,” the statement read.
Israeli authorities have indicated that military actions will intensify going forward.
“Under the direction of the political echelon, the IDF and Shin Bet are conducting widespread attacks on terrorist targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip; more details will follow,” the IDF and Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, announced in a joint statement.
According to an Israeli official, the IDF launched preemptive strikes targeting mid-level military commanders, leadership figures, and terrorist infrastructure associated with Hamas. The official stated that the military offensive will continue as long as necessary and will expand beyond airstrikes.
Dozens of targets were selected based on Hamas’s readiness to execute terror attacks and its efforts to build up and re-arm its forces. Following a situational assessment by Katz and IDF officials, a decision was made to keep schools and educational activities in the Gaza Envelope closed, authorities stated.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office reported that the airstrikes were initiated after Hamas “rejected all offers it received” from the Trump administration’s special envoy to the Mideast, Steve Witkoff, and other mediators.
“Tonight, we returned to fighting in Gaza due to Hamas’s refusal to release the hostages and threats to harm IDF soldiers and Israeli communities,” Katz stated. “If Hamas does not release all the hostages, the gates of hell will open in Gaza, and Hamas’s murderers and rapists will meet the IDF with forces they have never known before.”
He emphasized that Israel “will not stop fighting until all the hostages return home and all the war’s goals are achieved.”
In response, Hamas held Netanyahu “and the Nazi Zionist occupation fully responsible for the repercussions of the treacherous aggression on Gaza, and for the defenseless civilians and our besieged Palestinian people, who are subjected to a brutal war and a systematic policy of starvation.”
The terror group called for the and the U.N. Security Council to urgently convene to adopt a resolution demanding Israel halt military operations and fully withdraw from Gaza and for Muslim nations to back Palestinian resistance.
Hamas has maintained its insistence on the original terms of the deal, which include a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an agreement to permanently end the war in exchange for the release of the remaining living hostages.
Netanyahu has consistently stated that Israel will not end the war until Hamas’s governing and military capabilities are destroyed.
The strikes come after nearly two months of a ceasefire to pause the 17- where dozens of hostages were released for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
On Monday, Israeli forces launched airstrikes in Gaza, and southern Syria. The IDF said it was targeting terrorists plotting attacks.