Israel says the resumption of deadly strikes in the Gaza Strip is aimed at increasing pressure on Hamas. It’s also tightened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s grip on power and caused significant unease among swathes of the public.
Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right minister, rejoined the ruling coalition in support of the return to fighting, swelling Netanyahu’s majority to 68 seats out of the 120 in parliament. That gives the country’s longest-serving premier greater freedom of action, though it caused anxiety among Israelis concerned about the fate of hostages still held in Gaza and the resumption of a war with no clear end.
Attacks by air and sea early Wednesday killed about a dozen people, according to local media, adding to the 404 people killed in a surprise Israeli offensive across Gaza early Tuesday, the Hamas-run health ministry said. That ended a nearly 2-month-old ceasefire, during which talks on an extension failed to get off the ground.
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