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    Wednesday, February 5
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    Despite Israeli breaches, Hamas-Israel truce allows limited humanitarian aid and prisoner-exchange

    With 210 Palestinian captives released in return for 81 Israeli captives, the truce between Hamas and Israel comes to an end.
    Updated:2 Mins Read
    A child walks among the rubble in the residential area known as Juhor ad-Dik, built by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and heavily damaged due to Israeli attacks in the southeastern part of the enclave of Gaza Strip on November 28, 2023 (Mustafa Hassona - Anadolu Agency).

    A truce between Hamas and Israel commenced on November 24 and was extended twice before concluding on Friday. During this ceasefire, fighting was halted, allowing limited, insufficient humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza, while Hamas released Israeli captives in exchange for Israel’s release of Palestinian captives.

    Following the enactment of the four-day truce mediated by Qatar, many displaced Palestinians began trying to go back to their homes on Friday morning. However, Israel stated that northern Gaza remains off-limits as displaced individuals seek to return home during the pause. Israel cautioned that entry into northern Gaza would not be permitted.

    At least two Palestinians are reported to have been killed by the Israeli military, and 11 wounded, as they have attempted the trip to northern Gaza.

    The UN humanitarian office, OCHA, reported that despite the truce, Israeli forces shot at Palestinians in Gaza on November 29, resulting in two deaths, and also shelled civilians on November 30. Earlier on Friday, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, mentioned that Palestinians were hoping for an extension of the truce to facilitate more humanitarian aid into the region.

    Palestinians get in line to get gas for cooking as 150 trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrive during the 4-day humanitarian pause in Rafah, Gaza on November 25, 2023 (Abed Rahim Khatib - Anadolu Agency).
    Palestinians get in line to get gas for cooking as 150 trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrive during the 4-day humanitarian pause in Rafah, Gaza on November 25, 2023 (Abed Rahim Khatib - Anadolu Agency).
    Palestinians get in line to get gas for cooking as 150 trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrive during the 4-day humanitarian pause in Rafah, Gaza on November 25, 2023 (Abed Rahim Khatib - Anadolu Agency).
    Palestinians get in line to get gas for cooking as 150 trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrive during the 4-day humanitarian pause in Rafah, Gaza on November 25, 2023 (Abed Rahim Khatib - Anadolu Agency).
    Palestinians get in line to get gas for cooking as 150 trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrive during the 4-day humanitarian pause in Rafah, Gaza on November 25, 2023 (Abed Rahim Khatib - Anadolu Agency).
    Palestinians get in line to get gas for cooking as 150 trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrive during the 4-day humanitarian pause in Rafah, Gaza on November 25, 2023 (Abed Rahim Khatib - Anadolu Agency).

    How did it end?

    An hour before the truce was set to expire at 7 a.m. (05:00 GMT), the Israeli military announced that its Iron Dome missile defense system had detected incoming rockets and subsequently intercepted a launch from Gaza. As the deadline for the extended truce passed without announcement of a further extension from either side, Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire resumed in Gaza, with witnesses reporting intense clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian combatants. 

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