America Holds Hamas Responsible for Resuming the War in Gaza

The acting U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations, Dorothy Shea, said on Tuesday that the responsibility for resuming hostilities in Gaza lies solely with Hamas and that the United States supports Israel in its actions.

Shea made this statement during a briefing to the UN Security Council after Palestinian health authorities reported that Israeli airstrikes on Gaza had killed more than 400 people, ending a period of relative calm that had lasted for weeks. This escalation came after the failure of negotiations to reach a permanent ceasefire.

The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that hospitals in the enclave received 413 bodies following Israel’s most intense airstrikes since the ceasefire agreement took effect on January 19. The truce had largely halted fighting that began more than 15 months ago when Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.