Smoke rises from the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel expired (Photo: Reuters).
The Al-Qassam Brigades, an armed wing of Hamas in Gaza, said late on December 2 that the force fired rockets toward Tel Aviv, the Israeli capital, after the two sides refused to extend the ceasefire.
The Israeli military said its Iron Dome defense system shot down dozens of rockets aimed at Tel Aviv. This is the second time Tel Aviv has been attacked since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas expired. There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage from this latest Hamas attack.
Saleh Al-Arouri, a Hamas official, said yesterday there would be no further negotiations or hostage exchanges until Israel ceased fire in Gaza and completely ended its military campaign.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that his country will continue its ground offensive in Gaza until all its goals are achieved.
"We will continue until we achieve all our objectives and we have determined that we cannot achieve those objectives without a ground operation," Netanyahu said.
He said Israel's goal was to bring all hostages back safely and destroy Hamas. "We must achieve this goal, that is the only thing that matters to me," the Israeli leader said.
He also warned of destroying Hezbollah in Lebanon if it gets involved in the current conflict.
The Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on October 7. Nearly two months of fighting has left more than 1,200 people dead in Israel and about 15,000 in Gaza. In late November, the two sides reached a temporary ceasefire and a hostage exchange.
However, after a seven-day ceasefire, both sides decided not to extend the agreement and instead resumed military fighting. On the first day of renewed fighting, nearly 200 people in Gaza were killed.
Israel accused Hamas of failing to comply with the agreement by not releasing the remaining 15 women and two children. Hamas said it refused to release a group of female hostages in their 20s and 30s because it suspected they were Israeli soldiers, but Israel denied the claim. According to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, Hamas is currently holding 117 male hostages.
In a related development, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned on December 2 that Israel risks "strategic defeat" in the conflict with Hamas if it does not find ways to protect civilians.
“I have personally urged Israeli leaders to avoid civilian casualties, avoid irresponsible rhetoric, and stop settler violence in the West Bank,” Secretary Austin said.
He also reiterated the US position of supporting a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine crisis.
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