Israel has launched a serious assault on Gaza, shattering the delicate two-month-old ceasefire between its forces and Hamas.
Israeli air strikes throughout the territory early on Tuesday killed not less than 232 Palestinians, lots of them youngsters, Gaza’s Ministry of Well being stated.
The lifeless included not less than 77 individuals in Khan Younis in southern Gaza and not less than 20 individuals in Gaza Metropolis within the north, medical sources instructed Al Jazeera.
Israeli strikes additionally hit places in central Deir el-Balah and Rafah within the south.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated he ordered the army to take “robust motion” towards Hamas over its refusal to launch captives taken from Israel or agree to offers to increase the ceasefire.
“Israel will, any more, act towards Hamas with rising army power,” the Prime Minister’s Workplace stated in an announcement.
The Israeli army stated on Telegram that it was conducting “in depth strikes on terror targets” belonging to Hamas.
Hamas, which governs Gaza, stated it seen Israel’s assaults as a unilateral cancellation of the ceasefire that started on January 19.
“Netanyahu and his extremist authorities are making a call to overturn the ceasefire settlement, exposing prisoners in Gaza to an unknown destiny,” the Palestinian group stated in an announcement.
The Palestinian group referred to as on individuals in Arab and Islamic nations, together with the “free individuals of the world”, to take to the streets to protest the assault.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) armed group accused Israel of “intentionally sabotaging all efforts to achieve a ceasefire”.
Ahmed Abu Rizq, a instructor in Gaza, stated he and his household woke as much as the sound of “Israeli strikes in every single place”.
“We had been frightened, our youngsters had been frightened. We had many calls from our family to verify, to verify [on] ourselves. And the ambulance began to run from one avenue to a different,” Abu Rizq instructed Al Jazeera, including that households began to reach on the native hospital with the “stays of their youngsters” of their fingers.
Reporting from Deir el-Balah, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum stated the strikes had been targeting closely built-up neighbourhoods, makeshift colleges and residential buildings the place individuals have been sheltering.
“We’ve heard previously hour a transparent presence of Israeli drones and fighter jets throughout the skies within the central space and we perceive that amongst those that had been discovered as victims throughout the assault had been new child infants, youngsters, girls and the aged,” Abu Azzoum stated, including that a number of high-ranking Hamas officers had additionally been killed.
Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks stalled
Negotiations on the second section of the ceasefire deal, which might see the discharge of almost 60 remaining captives and the institution of a everlasting ceasefire, have been at an deadlock over Israel’s insistence that the primary stage be prolonged till mid-April.
Hamas has launched about three dozen captives in trade for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners because the start of the ceasefire.
Whereas Israel didn’t explicitly declare an finish to the ceasefire, senior officers indicated that the assault would proceed.
Israeli Protection Minister Israel Katz stated the “gates of hell” would open in Gaza if the remaining captives weren’t launched.
“We is not going to cease preventing till all the hostages return house and all of the battle’s goals are achieved,” Katz stated in an announcement.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Dannon, stated Israeli forces would present “no mercy on our enemies.”
“Let me be very clear. Israel is not going to cease till all of our hostages are again house,” Dannon stated in a video message posted on X.
Reporting from Jordan’s Amman, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut stated that whereas Israel has accused Hamas of rejecting varied proposals made by negotiators, talks had been stalled after Netanyahu refused to start negotiations on phase two of the ceasefire deal on February 6.
“A number of Israeli analysts, a number of throughout the political opposition and a number of other inside Netanyahu’s personal authorities stated that this was the plan all alongside – a resumption of the preventing, to return to full-scale battle,” Salhut stated.
“And in reality, there’s a new army chief of staff, one who stated that 2025 goes to be a yr of battle – noting that Israel nonetheless has a whole lot of objectives to perform with regards to the Gaza Strip, that means that they’re on no account completed with their army motion.”
White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Israel had consulted with United States President Donald Trump concerning the strikes.
“As President Trump has made clear, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran – all those that search to terrorise not simply Israel however the US – will see a value to pay, and all hell will break loose,” Leavitt instructed Fox Information.
Israel’s 18-month battle on Gaza has levelled a lot of the enclave, lowering houses, hospitals and colleges to rubble.
Israeli forces have to date killed greater than 48,000 individuals within the territory, in keeping with Palestinian well being authorities.
