- The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas expired early Friday morning
- Negotiations broke down as dozens of hostages remain trapped in Gaza
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is set to end soon as both sides prepare to launch brutal attacks again, amid reports that the ceasefire may have been broken by rocket fire hours earlier.
Officials expected the ceasefire to end Thursday morning before being extended for another day with just minutes to spare.
Israel had agreed to halt its retaliatory attacks on Gaza for one day for every ten hostages released, with two more captured Israelis set to be released on Thursday afternoon.
The ceasefire had come into effect on November 24 and was initially intended to end on Monday as multiple extensions raised hopes among some that the Middle East’s worst fighting in recent history could be halted amid ongoing negotiations.
Just under an hour before the ceasefire officially expired, the IDF decided claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that Hamas launched a missile at Israel, which “was intercepted by air defense fighters.”
Rockets were reportedly intercepted as the ceasefire over Gaza City expired
Hours before the ceasefire ended in the Middle East on Friday morning, rocket sirens sounded near the Gaza border.
According to footage posted on social media According to a reporter from Yeshiva World News, a Jewish outlet, sirens were heard in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, followed by sounds of a large explosion.
Further surveillance video shared by Middle East research analyst Joe Truzman also appeared to show a missile launch towards Sderot, intercepted by the Iron Dome, Israel’s airstrike defense system.
It is unclear whether the reports of an explosion in Sderot are the same incident that the Israeli army claimed to have intercepted in the Iron Dome.
Reports on Telegram communications from the Shehab News Agency, which is considered affiliated with Hamas, claim that gunfire and several explosions hit northern Gaza earlier on Friday.
