Israel carried out deadly strikes on Gaza early Tuesday, killing at least 300 Palestinians, in one of the deadliest airstrikes in the Strip since the ceasefire deal with Hamas came into effect on January 19, 2025.
The extensive strikes came upon orders from the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defense Minister, Israel Katz, shattering the fragile ceasefire with Hamas, according to BBC.
Resuming War in Gaza
The Israeli strikes began during the pre-dawn meal (Suhoor), BBC cited eyewitnesses. More than 20 Israeli planes hit targets in Gaza City, Rafah and Khan Younis, they said. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that the Israeli attacks killed at least 330 people and injured others.
Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying that the strikes follow “Hamas’ repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators.” The statement added that Israel will use “increasing military strength” against Hamas.
The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders, marking the entire border of the Gaza Strip as a red, dangerous zone. It called on people to leave the areas of Beit Hanoun, Khuza’a, and Abasan al-Kabira and al-Jadida.
Hamas Response
Hamas accused Israel of breaching the terms of the ceasefire agreement, describing the attacks as ‘treacherous.” It warned that Israel is exposing the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza to “an unknown fate.” However, the Palestinian group has not yet declared it is resuming war, urging mediators and the UN to interfere.
Moreover, senior Hamas leader, Ezzat al-Rishq, said that Israel’s decision to resume war amounts to a “death sentence” to the remaining hostages in Gaza, reported the Associated Press (AP). Al-Rishq added that the Israeli strikes were an attempt by Netanyahu to save his far-right governing coalition.
US Position
The White House seemed to blame Hamas for the resumption of war. The National Security Council spokesman, Brian Hughes, said that Hamas “could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war.”
Meanwhile, the White House Spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, told Fox News that Israel had notified the US administration before carrying out the strikes. “As President Trump has made it clear, Hamas, the Houthis, all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel but also the United States of America, will see a price to pay,” she said.
Gaza Ceasefire Stalemate
Since the first phase of the temporary truce expired on March 1, negotiators have been trying to reach an agreement on a second phase to release the remaining hostages and end the war. The US proposed extending the first phase until mid-April, exchanging more Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
However, both sides disagreed. Hamas has demanded an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel insists it will not end the war until it destroys Hamas’ capabilities and frees all hostages.
Under the first phase of the ceasefire, which lasted for six weeks, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and 8 bodies in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. After Hamas’ refusal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire, Israel blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Dire Humanitarian Conditions
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. The Gaza war has so far claimed the lives of more than 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Furthermore, 90% of the enclave’s population has been displaced multiple times and 70% of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed. Healthcare, water and sanitation systems have collapsed, while the enclave suffers shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter, according to BBC.
Most recently, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory issued a report accusing Israel of carrying out “genocidal acts” and “sexual violence” against the Palestinians during the ongoing war in Gaza.
