Photo by
Yossi Zeliger/TPS on 1 December, 2023
Israel Striking Gaza After Renewed Rocket Fire
Jerusalem, 1 December, 2023 (TPS) -- The Israel Defense Forces said aircraft are striking Hamas targets in Gaza on Friday morning after rockets were fired at communities near the Strip.
Several rockets were fired from Gaza at Kibbutz Holit, and sirens were heard in Sderot, Ibim and Kibbutz Nir Am. According to the IDF, the rockets landed in open areas without causing damage.
Israel blamed Hamas for the breakdown of the temporary ceasefire. A statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office said Hamas “violated the ceasefire, did not live up to its duty to release all the kidnapped women today, and launched rockets at the citizens of Israel.”
The statement added that “With the return to fighting, we will emphasize: the Israeli government is committed to achieving the goals of the war – To release our hostages, eliminate Hamas and ensure that Gaza will never again pose a threat to the residents of Israel.”
Hamas freed six more Israelis from captivity in the Gaza Strip shortly before midnight on Thursday, bringing the total number of hostages released on the seventh day of the ceasefire to eight.
The Prime Minister’s Office identified the hostages released on Thursday night as siblings Aisha Ziyadne (17) and Bilal Ziyadne (18), Shani Goren (29), Sapir Cohen (29), Ilana Gritzewsky Kimchi (30) and Nili Margalit (41).
On Thursday afternoon, Hamas had already released Mia Shem, 21, and Amit Soussana, 40. Shem, a dual French citizen, appeared in a hostage video released by Hamas on Oct. 16.
Eighty-one Israelis have now been freed since the initial four-day ceasefire started on Nov. 24, along with 23 Thais and one Filipino.
Approximately 141 Israelis and foreigners are still in Hamas captivity.
At least 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Oct. 7. Another 240 men, women, children and soldiers were taken back to Gaza as hostages. Some people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains.
