Israel on Monday resumed shelling on Gaza Strip as a seven-hour humanitarian ceasefire ended and vowed to press ahead with its offensive against Hamas until long-term calm is restored even as the death toll in the 28-day conflict neared 1,900.
Violence abated slightly earlier in the day after Israel declared the unilateral ceasefire and withdrew troops from parts of Hamas-ruled Gaza.
The Israeli army said it was redeploying troops within Gaza while other forces were pulling out.
Israeli nearly finished with its operation to destroy Hamas’ network of tunnels, but “this operation will end only when quiet and security are restored to the citizens of Israel for a lengthy period.”
Netanyahu said the Israel Defence Forces “struck a very severe blow at Hamas and the other terrorist organisations. We have no intention of attacking the residents of Gaza.”
During the cease-fire, the IDF continued to operate in the areas around Rafah, but residents of other parts of Gaza flooded the streets to pick up supplies and check on their abandoned homes.
During the cease-fire, which Hamas did not agree to, at least three rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel. All three rockets landed in open areas.
Israeli strikes on Gaza killed 20 people, including an Islamic Jihad commander, raising the Palestinian death toll to over 1,880, according to Gaza health officials. In Jerusalem, an Israeli was killed and five injured when a Palestinian rammed an earthmover into a bus, turning it over before the driver was shot dead by police. later, an Israeli soldier was shot and seriously wounded near a bus stop not far from the site of the earlier attack, with police combing the area for his attacker who fled.