Qatar, the main mediator between Israel and Hamas, called on the international community to act quickly to end violence in the Gaza Strip after Israeli bombings in the territory resumed on Friday.
• Also read: In Gaza “the war has resumed” and hospitals are overwhelmed
• Also read: Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza collapses
“The bombings in the Gaza Strip in the first hours after the end of the break complicate mediation efforts and deepen the humanitarian catastrophe,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Mohammed bin Abderrahmane Al-Thani, Qatari Foreign Ministry. AFP
He called on the international community to “act quickly to end the violence” and condemned operations against “civilians, the practice of collective punishment and attempts to forcibly evict citizens of the besieged Gaza Strip.”
The ministry also confirmed that negotiations are continuing “with the aim of returning to a humanitarian pause.”
Qatar remains “determined to continue efforts together with its partners” to achieve this goal and “will not hesitate to do whatever is necessary to restore calm,” the ministry added in its press release.
Previously, a source briefed on the negotiations reported the continuation of negotiations to return to a ceasefire.
The ceasefire, which had been in effect for seven days, expired on Friday morning and the Israeli army said it had resumed military operations, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of “violating the agreement” and “fired rockets ” to have.
This pause allowed the release of dozens of hostages held in Gaza and three times as many Palestinians detained by Israel, as well as the entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.
The Israeli military estimated that about 240 people were taken hostage and taken to the Gaza Strip during the October 7 attack. According to the authorities, 1,200 people were killed in this attack in Israel, most of them civilians.
In retaliation, Israel promised to “destroy” Hamas, which has been in power in the Gaza Strip since 2007, to shell the Palestinian territory and to launch a ground offensive on October 27 that lasted until the ceasefire began on November 24.
According to the Hamas government, more than 15,000 people died in Israeli attacks, including at least 6,150 children and teenagers under the age of 18.