It is tragic and heartbreaking to see the resumption of hostilities in Gaza.
Our thoughts are with both the Israeli hostages imprisoned by Hamas and their families, and with innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Over the past two weeks, Hamas has rejected two concrete hostage deal proposals which would have further extended the ceasefire. It is imperative that this terror group – which has menaced Gaza for 18 years and murdered Israelis for three decades – plays no future role in the governance of Gaza.
Israel must ensure that humanitarian aid can flow freely into Gaza.
Diplomatic efforts to reinstate the ceasefire, ensure the immediate release of all Israeli hostages, and bring about a permanent end to the conflict must be urgently accelerated.
