Israel launched a series of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing at least 404 Palestinians, including women and children, according to hospital officials. The surprise attack ended the ceasefire that had been in place since January and threatens to fully reignite the 17-month-long war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strikes after Hamas rejected Israel’s conditions for modifying the ceasefire agreement. Authorities stated that the operation has no set time frame and is expected to expand. The White House, which was consulted beforehand, expressed its support for Israel’s offensive.
The Israeli military urged civilians to evacuate eastern Gaza, including much of the northern city of Beit Hanoun and other communities further south, directing them toward the center of the territory. This suggests that Israel may be preparing to resume ground operations.
“Israel will now act against Hamas with increasing military force,” Netanyahu’s office declared.
The attack, occurring during the sacred Muslim month of Ramadan, could escalate the conflict once again in a war that has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction in Gaza. It also raises uncertainty over the fate of about 20 Israeli hostages held by Hamas who are believed to still be alive.
Izzat al-Risheq, a senior Hamas official, called Netanyahu’s decision to resume the war a “death sentence” for the remaining hostages. He also accused the Israeli prime minister of launching the offensive to maintain support from his far-right coalition and urged mediators to reveal who was truly responsible for breaking the truce. Hamas reported that at least four of its senior leaders were killed in the strikes.
Several hours after the airstrikes, there were no reports of Hamas retaliation, suggesting that the group was still hoping to restore the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu faces growing domestic pressure, with mass protests planned against him over his handling of the hostage crisis and his decision to dismiss the head of Israel’s internal security agency. His testimony in a prolonged corruption trial was canceled following the attacks.
Paradoxically, the offensive appears to have given Netanyahu a political boost. A far-right party that had left the government in protest over the ceasefire announced its return on Tuesday.
The main group representing the families of the hostages accused the government of abandoning the ceasefire and of having “chosen to give up on the hostages.”
“We are shocked, angry, and terrified by the deliberate dismantling of the process to bring our loved ones home from Hamas’ horrific captivity,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
Among the deadliest attacks, an airstrike in the southern city of Rafah killed 17 members of a single family, including at least 12 women and children, according to the European Hospital. Medical records indicated that the victims included five children, their parents, and another man with his three children.
In the southern city of Khan Younis, Associated Press journalists witnessed explosions and plumes of smoke as ambulances rushed the wounded to Nasser Hospital. The scenes were chaotic: patients lay on the floor, some screaming in pain, while a young girl cried as her bloodied arm was bandaged.
For many Palestinians, the resumption of war was inevitable, as negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire never began as scheduled in early February. Instead, Israel presented an alternative proposal and blocked the entry of food, fuel, and other humanitarian aid to Gaza’s two million residents in an attempt to pressure Hamas into accepting it.
“No one wants to fight,” Gaza City resident Nidal Alzaanin told AP. “Everyone is still suffering from the previous months.”
The Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 404 people were killed and more than 560 injured in the attacks. An earlier count of 413 dead and 660 wounded was later revised. Rescuers continue searching for victims in the rubble as the bombings persist, making it one of the deadliest days of the conflict.
The White House blamed Hamas for the resumption of Israel’s offensive. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes stated that the group “could have released the hostages to extend the ceasefire, but instead chose rejection and war.”
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Israel is targeting Hamas’ leadership, infrastructure, and military capabilities and plans to expand the operation beyond airstrikes. He also accused the Islamist group of attempting to rebuild and plan new attacks.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the prime minister held security consultations with top officials but provided no further details.
Tuesday’s attacks came two months after a temporary ceasefire was reached. During the six-week truce, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and handed over the bodies of eight others in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.
However, since the first phase of the agreement ended two weeks ago, negotiations for a second phase have stalled. This new phase aimed to secure the release of the remaining 59 hostages (35 of whom are believed to be dead) and bring the war to a definitive end.
Hamas has demanded a total cessation of the war and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops in exchange for releasing the remaining hostages. Israel, on the other hand, insists that the war will not end until Hamas is fully dismantled and all hostages are freed—two objectives that seem difficult to reconcile.
Netanyahu’s office stated Tuesday that Hamas “has repeatedly refused to release our hostages and has rejected all offers presented by U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and other mediators.”
Israel proposes that Hamas release half of the remaining hostages in exchange for starting negotiations on a permanent truce. However, Hamas prefers to proceed with the initial ceasefire agreement, which stipulated negotiations for releasing the remaining hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
For Netanyahu, resuming the war allows him to avoid the difficult conditions of the second phase of the agreement and the contentious issue of who will govern Gaza in the future. Additionally, it strengthens his coalition, which includes far-right lawmakers seeking to depopulate Gaza and reestablish Jewish settlements in the area.
