KEY POINTS
- Israeli forces launched massive attacks on Gaza, killing at least 413 people
- Israeli strikes targeted multiple areas, including Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah
- Hospitals in Gaza are overwhelmed by casualties
- Israel cited Hamas’ refusal to release hostages as a reason for resuming operation
- Washington confirmed Israel consulted with the US before the operation
- Over 48,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023
GAZA CITY: Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have killed at least 413 people after the Israeli government launched a renewed military campaign on Tuesday, effectively ending a fragile ceasefire that had been in place since January.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, the casualty toll is expected to rise as rescue operations continue.
“So far, 413 martyrs have arrived in hospitals in the Gaza Strip,” the ministry said in a statement. “A number of victims are still under the rubble, and work is underway to recover them.”
The strikes, the most intense since the truce began on 19 January, targeted areas across northern, central, and southern Gaza, including Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah.
The Israeli military stated that the operation was ordered due to Hamas’ “repeated refusal” to release Israeli hostages and its rejection of ceasefire extension proposals put forward by US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and mediators.
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
Hamas condemned the renewed military action, accusing Netanyahu’s government of overturning the ceasefire agreement for political reasons.
“Netanyahu and his extremist government have decided to resume war, sacrificing the occupation’s prisoners and imposing a death sentence on them,” Hamas said in a statement.
Casualties and hospital overload
Medical facilities in Gaza, already crippled by 15 months of Israeli war, struggled to cope with the influx of casualties. Witnesses described piles of bodies in white plastic sheets smeared with blood inside overwhelmed hospitals.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported dealing with 86 fatalities and 134 wounded, but noted that many more were brought in by private vehicles.
ALSO READ: Israel Kills Over 150 Palestinians since Ceasefire in Gaza
Officials from hospitals in Khan Younis, central Gaza, and Gaza City said they had received at least 85 dead, while reports indicated that 16 members of a single family were killed in Rafah.
US consultation and global response
A White House spokesperson confirmed that Israel had consulted with the US administration before launching the operation.
“Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war,” White House spokesperson Brian Hughes said.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee urged residents in specific areas, including Beit Hanoun and Khan Younis, to evacuate, warning of “dangerous combat zones.”
The escalation has triggered urgent diplomatic efforts from mediators in Qatar and Egypt to prevent further bloodshed.
Hamas insists on ceasefire terms
That first phase ended in early March, and while both sides have since refrained from all-out war, they have been unable to agree on the next steps for truce talks.
Hamas officials said, as cited by AFP, that they were “working with mediators to curb the aggression.”
They accused Israel of violating the terms of the January ceasefire by resuming hostilities instead of negotiating for a permanent truce.
The latest escalation comes amid stalled negotiations over the release of 59 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
While Israel sought an extended truce in exchange for their return, Hamas insisted on a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as a condition for any long-term agreement.
Since October 7, 2023, more than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli bombardment campaign in Gaza, according to local health officials.
Israeli figures indicate that around 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas-led attack that triggered the war.
Ordering schools closure
Israel ordered all schools close to the regions neighbouring Gaza shut, as the government said it would ramp up military action against Hamas.
US envoy Witkoff told media on Sunday he had offered a “bridge proposal” that would see five living hostages, including Israeli-American Edan Alexander, released in return for freeing a “substantial amount of Palestinian prisoners” from Israel jails.
Hamas had said it was ready to free Alexander and the remains of four others.
Witkoff said Hamas had provided “an unacceptable response” and “the opportunity is closing fast”.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump’s administration had been consulted ahead of Israel’s Tuesday operation.
Trump’s warning
“As President Trump has made it clear, Hamas, the Huthis, Iran, all those who seek to terrorise not just Israel, but also the United States of America, will see a price to pay, all hell will break loose,” she said in the televised interview.
During the first phase of the truce agreement, Hamas released 33 hostages, including eight deceased, and Israel freed around 1,800 Palestinian detainees.
ALSO READ: One Million Children in Gaza Struggling to Survive, Warns UNICEF
Since then, Hamas has consistently demanded negotiations for the second phase.
Former US president Joe Biden had outlined a second phase involving the release of remaining living hostages, the withdrawal of all Israeli forces left in Gaza and the establishment of a lasting ceasefire.
Demilitarisation of Gaza
Israel, however, seeks to extend the first phase until mid-April, insisting any transition to the second phase must include “the total demilitarisation” of Gaza and the removal of Hamas, which has controlled the territory since 2007.
The talks have been stuck at an impasse, and Israel has cut aid and electricity to the territory during the deadlock.
“It’s so hard for me to think about what they’re (hostages) going through right now because I know that feeling,” freed Israeli captive Omer Shem Tov said in a recently released video.
“It’s a terrible feeling and it has to stop as soon as possible.”
Hamas’ October 7 attack resulted in 1,218 deaths on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, while Israel’s retaliatory response in Gaza has killed at least 48,572 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from both sides.
