Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, observing a war drill in the Golan Heights. Photo: Kobi Gideon / GPO.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon on Sunday ordered the Israeli Defense Forces to resume operations against Hamas, which violated the humanitarian truce that the United Nations had requested for the residents of Gaza.

In a statement, Israel said, “Yet again Hamas is cynically exploiting the residents of Gaza in order to use them as human shields.”

Hamas rejected a ceasefire proposed by Egypt and last week violated the UN’s humanitarian truce. Hamas then violated a Red Cross humanitarian truce and refused a UN request for a humanitarian truce in order to allow the residents of Gaza to prepare for Eid al-Fitr, the Ramadan feast.

Israel said that by violating the humanitarian truce that Israel acceded to, Hamas is responsible for the deaths of any Gaza residents who are inadvertently hit in battle.