Hamas fired its first barrage of rockets in months into Israeli territory yesterday as Israeli troops expanded ground operations across Gaza. After the collapse of a two-month cease-fire, the fighting now looks as if it is escalating back to full-scale war.

Hamas said that talks with mediators were ongoing on Thursday to halt the Israeli offensive on Gaza, which resumed two days ago, and to push Israel to abide by the ceasefire deal.

The United States told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that the Palestinian militant group Hamas was to blame for the deaths in the Gaza Strip since Israel resumed hostilities there. "Hamas bears full responsibility for the ongoing war in Gaza and for the resumption of hostilities.

Israel's defense minister said Friday he has ordered ground forces to advance deeper into the Gaza Strip, and vowed to hold more land until Hamas releases the remaining hostages it holds. “The more Hamas continues its refusal to release the kidnapped,

Russia attacked Ukraine's port city of Odessa overnight, triggering fires as several infrastructure targets were hit as well as a high-rise residential building and shopping center.

A State Department spokesperson said Thursday that Ukraine and Russia are “just a breath away from a full ceasefire” after three years of war. “We are just a breath away from a full ceasefire, and then we can begin to talk about not just peace for a week or six months,