Blinken accused Hamas of the ceasefire breakdown in the Gaza Strip
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (photo: Getty Images)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Hamas of violating the week-long ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, during which dozens of hostages were released, according to Bloomberg.
The head of the U.S. State Department revealed that Hamas reneged on its commitment to release certain hostages and launched rockets that killed civilians in Jerusalem while the ceasefire was still in effect.
"It was Hamas that did this. The militants committed a brutal act of terrorism in Jerusalem, resulting in the death of three people," said Blinken.
Israel had previously reported that Hamas did not release all the women it had promised to free during the ceasefire.
Ceasefire in the Gaza Strip
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began on November 24. At that time, the conflicting parties agreed to a four-day ceasefire and the release of hostages. The militants released the first group of hostages on the same day.
On November 29, it was reported that Israel was discussing with Hamas the extension of the ceasefire for another two days. For this to happen, the militants had to fulfill Israel's conditions.
However, on December 1, Israel resumed military operations in the Gaza Strip, stating that Hamas had violated the terms of the ceasefire.
