section_path: Reactions/Palestine
section_name: Palestine
paragraph_text: Palestine
  
  Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq stated that "Netanyahu's decision to resume war" was "a decision to sacrifice the occupation's prisoners and impose a death sentence on them". A senior official of Hamas stated to Reuters that the renewed attacks represented Israel's unilateral termination of the ceasefire started in 19 January. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) characterized Israel as "deliberately sabotaging all efforts to reach a ceasefire" to restart its "war of extermination" on Gaza. The paramilitary group called Netanyahu's cabinet a "bloodthirsty Nazi government", and vowed that the cabinet will fail to achieve their objectives. Hamas official Taher al-Nunu described the attacks as a "moral test" for the international community, based on whether it would allow the bombardments on civilians to go on, or if it acted to stop the violence towards Palestinian civilians. Hamas fired rockets at Tel Aviv on 20 March, explaining that it did not immediately respond to the strikes in order to give mediators more time to pressure Israel to cease its attacks, but then decided to "give indications that it can respond" as the assault and death toll rose.