Israel launches air strikes. 400 reported dead.

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NPR: Why did Israel resume the war in Gaza?

Mediators were holding ceasefire talks with Hamas in the wee hours of the morning Tuesday when the surprise Israeli strikes began, according to a senior Hamas official.

Deception was the point, an Israeli official said.

… What followed was one of the deadliest days of the Gaza war, with more than 400 people killed in nighttime airstrikes on homes, according to Gaza health officials, including five Hamas officials and women and children. Israel said it was targeting Hamas mid-level leaders…

So, 5 “mid-level leaders” out of 400 killed? Hey, you gotta break some eggs…

…Why did Israel break the ceasefire?

"There's no other way to explain it: Israel knowingly violated the cease-fire agreement with Hamas – with American approval – because it didn't want to fully meet the terms it had committed to two months ago," wrote Amos Harel, a defense affairs columnist for the Israel's left-leaning Haaretz newspaper.

… According to the Israel-Hamas agreement, on the 16th day of the ceasefire, the sides were supposed to enter talks regarding the permanent end of the war. Israel refused to hold those talks, as