The US envoy to the United Nations told the Security Council on Tuesday that blame for the resumption overnight of Israeli strikes in Gaza “lies solely with Hamas.”

Interim Ambassador Dorothy Shea said the terror group has “steadfastly refused every proposal and deadline they’ve been presented over the past few weeks, including a bridge proposal to extend the ceasefire beyond the holidays of Ramadan and Passover to allow time to negotiate a framework for a permanent ceasefire.”

Hamas insisted on sticking to the original terms of the deal, which was supposed to enter its second phase at the beginning of the month. That phase envisioned Israel fully withdrawing from Gaza and agreeing to permanently end the war in exchange for the release of the remaining living hostages.

While Israel signed on to the deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu long insisted that Israel would not end the war until Hamas’s governing and military capabilities have been destroyed. Accordingly, Israel refused to hold serious talks regarding the terms of phase two, which were supposed to begin on February 3.

Instead, it pushed for an extension of phase one — which concluded on March 1 — through additional hostage releases. The US adopted this approach, and special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff’s bridge proposal sought to do just that. Witkoff said Sunday that Hamas’s response to the proposal — offering to release one living US-Israeli hostage and the body of four other dual citizens — was a non-starter.

In her address to a Security Council session on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Shea rejected the allegation that Israel is indiscriminately bombing Gazans.

“The IDF is striking Hamas positions. It is well known that Hamas continues to use civilian infrastructure as launching pads, and the United States condemns this practice, as should others,” she said.

“President Trump has made clear that Hamas must release the hostages immediately or pay a........

© The Times of Israel