At least 404 Palestinians have been killed and 562 wounded as Israel launched renewed airstrikes across Gaza on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT), effectively ending the fragile two-month ceasefire with Hamas.
The attacks reportedly targeted multiple locations, including Khan Younis and Rafah in the south, Gaza City in the north, and Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
Hamas, which governs Gaza, accused Israel of unilaterally cancelling the ceasefire, stating, “Netanyahu and his extremist government are making a decision to overturn the ceasefire agreement, exposing prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate.”
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also blamed Israel, accusing it of “deliberately sabotaging all efforts to reach a ceasefire”.
Following the overnight offensive, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a news briefing that Israel had “gone back to fighting with great might”.
“I want to promise to you and to Hamas that this is just the beginning,” Netanyahu declared. He attributed the renewed offensive to Hamas’ refusal to accept ceasefire proposals and return the remaining hostages.
The goal, he said, is to “destroy Hamas and make sure Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel”.
Netanyahu denied claims that the offensive was driven by “political intentions”, asserting that the action was necessary to protect Israel and secure the release of hostages. “We are winning this war, but the campaign is long from over,” he said.
The White House confirmed that Israel had consulted with United States President Donald Trump before launching the strikes.
Negotiations on the second phase of the proposed ceasefire deal, which aimed to secure the release of nearly 60 remaining captives and establish a permanent truce, have stalled.
Israel had insisted on extending the first phase of the agreement until mid-April, a condition Hamas rejected.
Since the start of the ceasefire, Hamas has released about three dozen captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. However, the renewed hostilities have cast doubt on any further prisoner exchanges.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned, “If Hamas doesn’t immediately release all the captives, the gates of hell will open upon them, and it will face the full force of the Israeli military by air, sea, and land until it’s completely eliminated.”
Israel’s 18-month war on Gaza has left much of the enclave in ruins, with homes, hospitals, and schools reduced to rubble.
According to Palestinian health authorities, Israeli forces have killed more than 48,000 people in the territory since the conflict began.
