According to Gaza Civil Defense, the regime’s air assaults left at least 104 people dead — including 35 children — and dozens more wounded within 12 hours, in a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.
A military statement from Tel Aviv said the army was acting “under the directive of the political echelon,” following what it described as “a series of strikes” on Gaza.
Security analysts suggested that the Israeli regime’s renewed bombardment was almost certainly approved by Washington.
Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer in international security at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that the attacks were “more or less clearly coordinated with the United States.”
“Yes, Israel launched all of these strikes. Yes, this may feel like a breach of the ceasefire,” he said. “But it’s unlikely that this wasn’t agreed in advance with the Americans.”
He added that US officials were “almost certainly telling the Israeli government privately: ‘You have a right to respond, but you must stop before collapsing the deal.’”
Pinfold noted that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu “knows this deal is too big to fail.” “He cannot afford to be seen as the leader who destroyed the agreement,” he said.