Ceasefire Officially Over: IDF Returns to War in Gaza

The ceasefire is over, with Israel putting an end to the games played by Hamas with its “mediator” supporters, Qatar and Egypt, at the negotiating tables in Doha and Cairo.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have instructed the IDF to “take strong action” against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza following a late-night situation assessment at the IDF Kirya Headquarters in Tel Aviv.

“This follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators,” Netanyahu said in a statement released at 3 am Tuesday.

“The IDF is, at this time, attacking targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip in order to achieve the objectives of the war as they have been determined by the political echelon including the release of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased.

“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Netanyahu added.

The operational plan was presented by the IDF over the weekend and approved by the political leadership, according to Netanyahu’s office.

“Tonight we returned to fighting in Gaza due to Hamas’ refusal to release the hostages and threats to harm IDF soldiers and Israeli communities,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a late-night statement released shortly after that of the prime minister.

“If Hamas does not release all the hostages, the gates of hell will open in Gaza and the Hamas murderers and rapists will meet the IDF with forces they have never known before. We will not stop fighting until all the hostages are returned home and all the war’s goals are achieved,” Katz added.

There were other factors involved in the decision: Israeli intelligence and military personnel detected increased Hamas activity in Gaza indicating the terrorists were planning another ground invasion into the Jewish State, a la October 7. The information sent Netanyahu racing to Tel Aviv at 10 pm for an urgent meeting with defense and security officials.

This time, Israel didn’t wait: Shortly after, IDF tanks and other forces began attacking targets throughout Gaza overnight in a surprise attack on Hamas.

250 Terrorists Eliminated Overnight
By 6 am Tuesday, more than 250 terrorists were eliminated by Israeli forces in Gaza, according to a report by Israel’s Channel 14 News.

Included among the dead are multiple senior Hamas officials including:

*Hamas political bureau member Abu Obeidah al-Jamaci and his family.

* Mahmoud Abu Watfa, Hamas deputy interior minister, killed in IAF air strikes on Gaza City; Abu Watfa was responsible for efforts to rebuild the Hamas civilian apparatus in Gaza in recent months.

* Hamas Brigadier General Bahjat Abu Sultan, head of central operations in the Gaza Interior Ministry and head of the Hamas internal security apparatus,

* Issam a-Da’alis, a member of the Hamas political bureau, and

*Abu Amr al-Hatta, director-general of the Hamas ‘Justice Ministry’.

US Support
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed President Donald Trump’s support for Israel’s decision to return to war with Hamas.

White House National Security Council Spokesman Brian Hughes likewise expressed the president’s support for the strikes. “Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war,” Hughes pointed out.

In an interview with Fox News, Leavitt noted that the Trump administration and the White House were consulted by Israel on launching the attacks overnight in Gaza.

“As President Trump has made it clear, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel but also the United States of America will see a price to pay,” Leavitt said.

“All hell will break loose, and all of the terrorists in the Middle East, again, the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, Iranian-backed terror proxies, and Iran themselves should take President Trump very seriously when he says he is not afraid to stand for law-abiding people. He is not afraid to stand up for the United States of America and our friend and our ally, Israel,” she emphasized.

Leavitt noted that American and UK air strikes carried out over the weekend against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen were successful. The Houthis have repeatedly attacked vessels transiting the Red Sea and Suez Canal in support of Hamas, in addition to missile fire and drone strikes aimed at Israel.

“We took out some of their leaders, and the Defense Department is set to continue with this campaign if the Houthis continue with their retaliatory measures. The President is going to stand for the freedom of navigation of our seas, which is a very basic principle that, unfortunately, the previous administration refused to stand for, and that’s why we are in this mess in the Middle East in the first place,” Leavitt added.

Overnight, US forces resumed their attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen, including air strikes near the Yemeni capital, Sana’a.

Home Front Command Guidelines
Following a situational assessment, changes were made to the IDF Home Front Command’s defensive guidelines early Tuesday in accordance with the security situation.

Train services between Ashkelon and Sderot have been temporarily halted.

Gaza Envelope communities near the Gaza border have been ordered to conduct their affairs under “limited activity.” Educational activities, including classes, are not be allowed for the time being.

Thus far, however, the areas of the Western Negev and Western Lachish remain at “full activity”.

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