Israel launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing at least 413, including women and children, according to hospital officials.
The surprise bombardment shattered a ceasefire in place since January and threatened to fully reignite the 17-month-old war.
This from newsmax.com.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strikes after Hamas refused Israeli demands to change the ceasefire agreement. Officials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand. The White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel’s actions.
A senior Hamas official said Netanyahu’s decision to return to war amounts to a “death sentence” for the remaining hostages.
Hamas said at least four senior officials were killed in Tuesday’s strikes.
The White House blamed Hamas for the renewed fighting. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said the terrorist group “could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war.”
Netanyahu’s office Tuesday said:
[Hamas had] repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all offers it received from the U.S. presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from the mediators.
The Israeli military ordered people to evacuate eastern Gaza, including much of the northern town of Beit Hanoun and other communities further south, and head toward the center of the territory, indicating that Israel could soon launch renewed ground operations.
Netanyahu’s office said:
Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength.
The attack during the moslem holy month of Ramadan could resume a war that has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza. It also raised questions about the fate of the roughly two dozen Israeli hostages held by Hamas who are believed to still be alive.
The strikes came as Netanyahu comes under mounting domestic pressure, with mass protests planned over his handling of the hostage crisis and his decision to fire the head of Israel’s internal security agency. His latest testimony in a long-running corruption trial was canceled after the strikes.
The main group representing families of the captives accused the government of backing out of the ceasefire, saying it “chose to give up on the hostages.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement:
We are shocked, angry and terrified by the deliberate dismantling of the process to return our loved ones from the terrible captivity of Hamas.
Many Palestinians said they had expected a return to war when talks over the second phase of the ceasefire did not begin as scheduled in early February. Israel instead embraced an alternative proposal and cut off all shipments of food, fuel, and other aid to the territory’s 2 million Palestinians to try to pressure Hamas to accept it.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 413 people were killed in the strikes and hundreds more wounded. Rescuers were still searching the rubble for dead and wounded as the strikes continued. It was among the deadliest days of the war.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the unfolding operation, said:
Israel was striking Hamas’ military, leaders, and infrastructure and planned to expand the operation beyond air attacks.
The official accused Hamas of attempting to rebuild and plan new attacks. Hamas terrorists and security forces quickly returned to the streets in recent weeks after the ceasefire went into effect.
A second Israeli official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a closed-door meeting, said:
Netanyahu would meet with top security officials to discuss next steps in the war.
The strikes came two months after a ceasefire was reached to pause the war. Over six weeks, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight more in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in a first phase of the ceasefire.
But since that ceasefire ended two weeks ago, the sides have not been able to agree on a way forward with a second phase aimed at releasing the 59 remaining hostages, 35 of whom are believed to be dead, and ending the war altogether.
Hamas has demanded an end to the war and full withdrawal of Israeli troops in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages. Israel said it will not end the war until it destroys Hamas’ governing and military capabilities and frees all hostages—two goals that could be incompatible.
Netanyahu’s office on Tuesday said:
Hamas had repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all offers it received from the U.S. presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from the mediators.
The ceasefire had brought some relief to Gaza and allowed hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to resume to what remained of their homes.
The released hostages, some of whom were emaciated, have repeatedly implored the government to press ahead with the ceasefire to return all remaining captives. Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken part in mass demonstrations calling for a ceasefire and return of all hostages.
