Welcome back to the war!
Hamas ran out of women and children to exchange for more time. They tried to offer dead bodies, and Israel turned them down. The last exchange included only 8 hostages (Two of them were Israeli Beduin). So Hamas tried distractions: suicidal terror attacks in Jerusalem and elsewhere. They even admitted responsibility. It really didn’t matter. They were already in violation of the conditions for trading hostages for additional time. This morning they seem to have admitted to themselves that this tactic was now at an end. About 5 minutes before the scheduled expiration time Hamas launched the first of several rockets at Israeli towns.
US Secretary of State Blinken is in Israel and reminded the Israeli government that resuming hostilities still required Israel to abide by the humanitarian side of rules for war, even if their enemy, Hamas, did not. One cannot help but wonder if the International Criminal Court in The Hague would accept the Hamas claim that the “occupation” allows them to employ any means of resistance.
Israel recalled its’ ambassador to Spain after a statement by the Spanish Prime Minister calling for an extension of the pause in fighting, AND calling for action to create immediately a sovereign state for the Palestinians. It’s hard for me to imagine any country willingly creating a completely independent entity that is dedicated to its destruction inside the territory it controls. Spain isn’t even ready to have an independent Basque state on part of Spanish territory inside their northern border.
Wetherhorn 