(Jerusalem) Israel continued its bombing of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after announcing the reinstatement of the ceasefire, and stated it would continue to take action to eliminate any threats.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Wednesday (October 29) that it had carried out a precision strike on a location in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, claiming that weapons "to be used in terrorist attacks" were stored there. Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said the attack killed two people.
Reuters, citing Gaza residents and witnesses, reported that Israeli aircraft and tanks heavily bombed eastern Gaza on Thursday (October 30).
On the same day, the IDF said it had dismantled "terrorist infrastructure" in IDF-controlled areas in southern Gaza. The IDF reiterated that it would continue its deployment in Gaza in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and take action to eliminate any imminent threats.
On Tuesday evening (October 28), the IDF launched its most intense airstrikes against Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, citing Hamas's violation of the ceasefire agreement, resulting in 104 deaths. Israel announced the restoration of a ceasefire earlier Wednesday, but continued to launch new airstrikes, exacerbating concerns that the ceasefire might break down.
Further Reading
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday strongly condemned the Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Gürger said the large number of deaths was shocking and urged all parties to reaffirm their ceasefire commitments.
A CNN analysis points out that the new reality facing Gaza is that the ceasefire can generally be maintained, but it could vanish in an instant and be reinstated within hours or days. Continued US attention will be key to maintaining the ceasefire agreement, especially advancing to the next phase.
The article quotes Leamore, a military and defense analyst for Israel Today, as saying: “Hamas is Hamas: it will become stronger and continue to launch attacks… Therefore, Washington must push the ceasefire agreement to the next phase and work to remove Hamas from power. Otherwise, the situation could worsen.”
