A summary of today's developments
Israel’s military said it is continuing its attacks on Gaza, following a series of deadly overnight airstrikes that killed more than 400 Palestinian people, including many women and children, and injured hundreds of others. At least four government officials were killed in the Israeli airstrikes, according to Gaza’s government media office. The airstrikes appear to have made the last 24 hours the deadliest for Palestinians in Gaza since the first months of the war in 2023.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said the airstrikes on Gaza were “just the beginning”. Speaking in a televised address, Netanyahu said: “We will continue to fight to achieve all of our goals in this war”. He named the release of all Israeli hostages in Gaza and the destruction of Hamas as his goals.
Hamas said the US “bears full responsibility for the massacres” in Gaza, after the White House confirmed Israel had consulted the Trump administration before it carried out the overnight airstrikes.
The deadly Israeli attacks have violated the ceasefire agreement with Hamas that came into effect in late January.
Israel’s military ordered an evacuation of parts of eastern Gaza, hours after launching the strikes. The evacuation orders, which cover the northern town of Beit Hanoun and other communities further south, suggest that Israeli troops may launch renewed ground operations within hours.
Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar said fresh Israeli strikes that have killed hundreds of Palestinians were not a “one-day attack” and that the military operation in Gaza would continue in the coming days.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said “the gates of hell will open in Gaza” and that Hamas would be hit with a force it has “never seen before” if it did not release all remaining hostages it holds.
Egypt and Qatar, key mediators in the ceasefire deal, heavily condemned the Israeli assault along with many other foreign ministries around the world.
Hamas accused Israel of attacking “defenceless civilians” and urged mediators to hold the Netanyahu administration “fully responsible” for “violating and overturning” the ceasefire.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement ended two weeks ago but Israel is refusing to implement the scheduled second phase, which envisaged an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a definitive end to the war.
Evacuation orders have been issued by the IDF for a number of areas in Gaza, including Beit Hanoun, Khirbet Khuza’a, Abasan al-Kabira and Abasan al-Jadida.
The UN’s under secretary general Tom Fletcher said: “Overnight our worst fears materialised. Airstrikes resumed across the entire Gaza Strip. Unconfirmed reports of hundreds of people killed ... once again, the people of Gaza are living in abject fear. Humanitarian workers remain on the ground ... ready to provide life-saving support to survivors and to carry out humanitarian operations. We must be allowed to do so.” Fletcher added since 2 March, Israeli authorities had cut off the entry of all lifesaving supplies - food, medicines, fuel, cooking gas - for 2.1 million people in Gaza and UN requests to collect aid sitting at Kerem Shalom crossing had been rejected.
Protesters in Israel accused Benjamin Netanyahu of ordering the airstrikes that shattered the ceasefire in Gaza to provide “cover” for a campaign to dismantle Israel’s democratic system and to maintain his own grip on power.
Former Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who left the government over disagreements about the ceasefire in Gaza, is rejoining the coalition, a joint party statement said hours after Israel’s deadly airstrikes.
Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, CEO of the charity Mercy Corps who have teams on the ground in Gaza, said: “Since early this morning, hundreds of people, most of them women and children, have been killed.
“Hospitals are overwhelmed, struggling with critical shortages of blood and even the most basic medical supplies like gauze and painkillers. Entire families have been wiped out. This renewed suffering after weeks of hope is unconscionable.
“Evacuation orders are forcing already displaced families to flee in desperation. More than 2 million people remain uprooted from their homes, facing yet another wave of displacement with nowhere safe to turn.
“Halted access for humanitarian aid and price increases have left people without sufficient food, water, or shelter, worsening an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
“The world cannot stand by while Gaza becomes a graveyard yet again. A sustained ceasefire is the only solution. All parties must immediately commit to ending this war, releasing all remaining hostages, and engaging in a meaningful process to ensure lasting peace and security for civilians on all sides.”
Benjamin Netanyahu defended the resumption of airstrikes in Gaza, saying that negotiations on restoring the ceasefire would continue “only under fire”.
In a briefing, Netanyahu said military pressure on Hamas was a “critical condition” for securing the release of the hostages held.
The United Arab Emirates has condemned the fresh Israeli strikes on Gaza and warned about the repercussions of military escalation, state news agency WAM reported.
Netanyahu says fresh Israel strikes on Gaza are 'just the beginning'
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said the airstrikes on Gaza were “just the beginning”.
Speaking in a televised address, Netanyahu said: “This is just the beginning. We will continue to fight to achieve all of our goals in this war”.
He named the release of all Israeli hostages in Gaza and the destruction of Hamas as his goals.
“We are at the height of the war of seven fronts and we are winning the fight,” he continued.
Netanyahu added that the military would continue until Hamas “no longer posed a threat” and Israel would act using “increasing pressure”.
“Nothing will stop us from achieving all our war aims,” he said.
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Yemen’s Houthis said on Tuesday they would expand their range of targets in Israel in the next hours and days unless the “aggression” on Gaza stops.
The Iran-aligned group’s military spokesperson Yahya Sarea also confirmed they had targeted an air base in Israel with a ballistic missile.
Earlier, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen towards Israeli territory. Sirens had sounded in several areas of Israel.
The Houthi group has repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel in what it has described as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The UK’s foreign secretary has rowed back on his assertion that Israel had broken international law by blocking aid shipments to Gaza.
David Lammy said he “could have been clearer” with his remarks in the House of Commons, which had prompted questions about the UK government’s position on the matter.
Downing Street earlier said Israel was “at clear risk of breaching” its legal obligations rather than having already done so.
On Monday, Lammy was asked by Labour MP Rupa Huq what the consequences would be for the “provocative action” of blocking aid during the holy month of Ramadan.
He answered: “Well, my honourable friend is right. This is a breach of international law.
“Israel, quite rightly, must defend its own security, but we find the lack of aid – and it has now been 15 days since aid got into Gaza – unacceptable, hugely alarming and very worrying.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman was asked if Lammy’s statement represented the government’s position.
He said: “Our position remains that Israel’s actions in Gaza are at clear risk of breaching international humanitarian law.
“And we continue to call on the government of Israel to abide by its international obligations when it comes to humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza.”
On Tuesday, the foreign secretary told Bloomberg that he “could have been clearer” in the chamber, when asked if he regretted making the statement.
Protesters in Israel have accused Benjamin Netanyahu of ordering the airstrikes that shattered the ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday to provide “cover” for a campaign to dismantle Israel’s democratic system and to maintain his own grip on power.
Political tensions in Israel surged after the Israeli prime minister announced on Sunday that he would seek to fire the head of the Shin Bet internal security service, an unprecedented move that legal experts said may be unlawful.
“The reality is that this attack [in Gaza] is being used as a tool for political interests. The way [they] operate is to create this external threat and accuse those who raise their voices of being anti-democratic,” said Ora Peled Nakash, a former senior officer in Israel’s navy and an organiser of the protests.
Groups representing Israeli hostages currently or formerly held by Hamas in Gaza are also planning demonstrations this week, and issued statements calling for an immediate ceasefire deal.
Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brother Nadav Popplewell was killed in captivity in Gaza, said hostages still held by Hamas could be saved.
“They can still be brought home. And those who did not survive deserve to be returned and buried with dignity … We must return to the ceasefire and negotiations, and secure their release. A deal is the only way to bring them all back. Please, do not let other families suffer the same fate as mine,” Svatitzky said.
Turkey will ramp up diplomatic efforts to reinstate a ceasefire in Gaza and halt the killing of innocent people there, president Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.
“Turkey stands by the people of Gaza and our Palestinian brothers... We will continue to increase our diplomatic efforts to stop the massacres and to restore peace and a ceasefire,” Erdogan said in comments made at a fast-breaking meal with students of the National Defence University.
Civilian deaths from Israel’s latest air strikes on Gaza have been branded “appalling” by a UK foreign office minister.
Lord Collins of Highbury’s comments came after the surprise bombardment on Tuesday shattered a ceasefire that had been in place since January, threatening to fully reignite the 17-month-old war.
He told the House of Lords: “We do not want to see a return to fighting.
“The reported civilian casualties resulting from these strikes are appalling.
“Our priority is urging all parties to return urgently to dialogue and to ensuring the ceasefire agreement is implemented in full and becomes permanent.
“The fighting must stop, hostages must be released and civilians must be protected, including those who have returned home during the ceasefire.”
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that sirens had sounded in several areas of Israel after a projectile was launched from Yemen.
The Iran-backed Houthi group has repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel in what it has described as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The firing of the projectile came after Israel resumed airstrikes against targets in Gaza that killed more than 400 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, in an onslaught that ended weeks of relative calm after talks to secure a permanent ceasefire stalled.
Israel: Fresh strikes in Gaza are not a 'one-day attack'
Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar said fresh Israeli strikes that have killed hundreds of Palestinians were not a “one-day attack” and that the military operation in Gaza would continue in the coming days.
Saar, who was speaking at a meeting with the powerful pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC in Jerusalem, said the U.S. had been given advance warning of the Israeli strikes and that it supported them.
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Last 24 hours the deadliest day for Palestinians in Gaza since first months of war in 2023
The airstrikes appear to have made the last 24 hours the deadliest for Palestinians in Gaza since the first months of the war in 2023.
“This level of casualties is reminiscent of the first one or two months of the war, and comes when theoretically a ceasefire is still in place,” Michael Spagat, Professor of Economics at Royal Holloway College, University of London and Chair of Every Casualty Counts, which monitors deaths from armed conflict around the world.
Israeli attacks killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza last year, the majority of them civilians, but throughout 2024 the daily toll from conflict never climbed over 300 people, according to records from health authorities in the enclave.
The deadliest day last year was June 9th, when over 270 Palestinians were killed during an operation to rescue four Israeli hostages.
In the most intense period of Israeli bombing campaigns between October and December 2023, thousands of Palestinians were killed each month. But even then, there were only a handful of days when reported deaths reached levels reported on Tuesday.
“It will take time to understand the full number of civilian casualties, but this will likely be one of the deadliest days of the war,” Emily Tripp, director at Airwars, said.
“Initial indications suggest the strikes were similar in intensity to the early months of the conflict - with a number of mass casualty events reported in a series of strikes in densely populated areas, and high numbers of reported civilian fatalities including children.”
Updated
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, the Spanish government said the strikes on Gaza “need to stop immediately”, adding that such actions were in breach of international humanitarian law.
“Spain calls for the resumption of the ceasefire as the only way to secure the release of all the hostages and relieve the humanitarian situation,” the statement said. “Indiscriminate attacks on the civilian population constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.”
Ben-Gvir: far right national security minister to rejoin Netanyahu government
Former Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who left the government over disagreements about the ceasefire in Gaza, is rejoining the coalition, a joint party statement said hours after Israel’s deadly airstrikes.
Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party and Netanyahu’s Likud Party announced the return on Tuesday.
“Likud and Otzma Yehudit have agreed that the Otzma Yehudit faction will return to the Israeli government today, and the ministers of Otzma Yehudit will return to the government,” the parties said.
Ben-Gvir’s return will strengthen Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which was left with only a thin parliamentary majority following his departure in January.
The far right minister claimed at the time that the ceasefire with Hamas would “erase the achievements of the war” by releasing Palestinian militants and ceding territory in Gaza.
Some members of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the group representing families of the hostages still being held captive by Hamas in Gaza, have gathered outside Israel’s parliament to protest against the renewed airstrikes.
We mentioned in an earlier post that families of Israeli hostages said the government had “chosen to abandon the hostages” by launching the strikes.
Families of Deceased hostages: "Unfortunately, it was too late for us. But for other hostages—it is not too late. THEIR LIVES CAN STILL BE SAVED."
— Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) March 18, 2025
Following the collapse of the ceasefire, families of deceased hostages whose bodies were recovered made a statement in Jerusalem.… pic.twitter.com/UJAT2G1oCy
Angela Giuffrida is the Guardian’s Rome correspondent
Pope Francis reiterated his appeal for peace and disarmament in a letter written from his hospital room and sent to Luciano Fontana, the editor of the Italian daily, Corriere della Sera.
The letter was written on 14 March but made public after Israel resumed strikes on Gaza on Tuesday morning. The pope said that war “only devastates communities and the environment, without offering solutions to conflicts” and that “diplomacy and international organisations are in need of new vitality and credibility”.
It was written from Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where the pontiff was admitted more than a month ago with pneumonia in both lungs.
He stressed the importance of communication in resolving conflict. “We must disarm words, to disarm minds and disarm the Earth”.
He added:
There is a great need for reflection, calmness, and an awareness of complexity. Religions, moreover, can draw from the spirituality of peoples to rekindle the desire for fraternity and justice, the hope for peace. All this requires commitment, work, silence, and words.
For weeks, Francis, 88, was in a critical condition but has been steadily improving over the past week, although it is unclear when he’ll be discharged from hospital. Amid speculation that he could soon resign, the Vatican’s secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, said on Monday that the pontiff is “absolutely not” quitting due to his health.
Palestinians in Gaza living in 'abject fear' after Israeli airstrikes, UN says
The UN’s under secretary general Tom Fletcher has been speaking at a UN security council briefing following the Israeli airstrikes that killed more than 400 Palestinian people.
Fletcher was quoted by the Reuters news agency as having said:
Overnight our worst fears materialised. Airstrikes resumed across the entire Gaza Strip. Unconfirmed reports of hundreds of people killed ... once again, the people of Gaza are living in abject fear.
Humanitarian workers remain on the ground ... ready to provide life-saving support to survivors and to carry out humanitarian operations. We must be allowed to do so.
Fletcher went on to say that since 2 March Israeli authorities had cut off the entry of all lifesaving supplies - food, medicines, fuel, cooking gas - for 2.1 million people in Gaza and UN requests to collect aid sitting at Kerem Shalom crossing had been rejected.
“This total blockade of life saving aid, basic commodities and commercial goods will have a disastrous impact on the people in Gaza who remain dependent on a steady flow of assistance into the strip,” he said.
He said the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel had enabled aid delivery into Gaza (for context: in the six weeks of the first phase of the truce, deliveries returned to the prewar levels of about 600 trucks a day, mostly carrying food, though there were reports of shortages of drinkable water, cooking gas and shelter, among other things).
Fletcher added:
We cannot and must not accept a return to pre-ceasefire conditions or the complete denial of the entry of humanitarian relief. Civilians must be protected, and their essential needs must be met.
International law must be respected. The return to hostilities overnight must cease.
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The UK government has rejected British foreign secretary David Lammy’s assessment that Israel has broken international law by blocking aid to Gaza, in a rare public censure for a cabinet minister. Kiran Stacey, a Guardian political correspondent based in Westminster, reports:
A spokesperson for the prime minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday morning Israel was “at risk” of breaching humanitarian law, despite Lammy having told the Commons on Monday that the country had definitely done so.
The remarks, hours after Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Gaza, mark a climbdown after Lammy appeared to have changed the government’s position on one of the most sensitive foreign policy questions it faces.
Starmer’s spokesperson said:
Our position remains that Israel’s actions in Gaza are at clear risk of breaching international humanitarian law, and we continue to call the government of Israel to abide by its international obligations.
The government is not an international court, and, therefore, it is up to courts to make judgments.
Asked whether the foreign secretary had mistakenly gone further than official government policy, the spokesperson said: “I’d refer to the Foreign Office on that, but there’s no change in policy here.”
Asked whether Lammy should apologise, they added: “I’ll leave that to the Foreign Office.”
David Lammy says Israel’s blockade of aid and food to Gaza is a breach of international law.
— George Grylls (@georgegrylls) March 17, 2025
“This is a breach of international law. Israel quite rightly must defend its own security. But we find the lack of aid….unacceptable, hugely alarming and very worrying.” pic.twitter.com/fkxi0txrLq
The public rebuke came less than 24 hours after Lammy told the Commons he believed Israel’s actions broke international law – a key test for whether the UK can continue to sell weapons to the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
You can read the full story here:
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has said the deadly Israeli airstrikes jeopardise the release of hostages held by Hamas and unimpeded aid being allowed into the Strip.
“We are following with great concern the resumption of fighting in Gaza... which jeopardises the objectives we are all working towards: the release of all hostages and a permanent end to hostility, as well as the restoration of full humanitarian assistance in the (Gaza) Strip,” Meloni told the Italian Senate.
Benjamin Netanyahu has stopped food, fuel and medicine from entering Gaza. He is framing this as a part of efforts to put pressure on Hamas during negotiations but the aid blockade is seen by many as a clear breach of international law.
Updated
After the deadly Israeli airstrikes were launched overnight, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) issued new evacuation orders in Gaza this morning. Here is a map showing the areas affected:
US President Donald Trump has not yet commented on Israel’s overnight attacks on Gaza but his administration has signalled its continuing support for Israel.
Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu are close allies, with the US being the biggest military supplier to Israel by far, delivering huge amounts of bombs and missiles being used to kill Palestinians across Gaza.
US national security council spokesperson Brian Hughes said earlier today that “Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war”.
In a Fox News interview, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Israel had notified the US about the attacks before they were launched.
“As President Trump has made it clear - Hamas, the Houthis, Iran and all those who seek to terrorise not just Israel, but also the United States of America, will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,” she said.
Earlier this month, Trump repeated a threat to destroy Hamas in a “last warning” to release the hostages. Israel has said 59 hostages are still being held in Gaza, with up to 24 thought to be alive.
Updated
Summary of the day so far...
Israel’s military says it is continuing its attacks on Gaza, following a series of deadly overnight airstrikes that killed more than 400 Palestinian people, including many women and children, and injured hundreds of others.
At least four government officials were killed in the Israeli airstrikes, according to Gaza’s government media office.
Hamas said the US “bears full responsibility for the massacres” in Gaza, after the White House confirmed Israel had consulted the Trump administration before it carried out the overnight airstrikes.
The deadly Israeli attacks have violated the ceasefire agreement with Hamas that came into effect in late January.
Israel’s military ordered an evacuation of parts of eastern Gaza, hours after launching the strikes. The evacuation orders, which cover the northern town of Beit Hanoun and other communities further south, suggest that Israeli troops may launch renewed ground operations within hours.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered strikes because Hamas had rejected proposals to secure a ceasefire extension during faltering talks.
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said “the gates of hell will open in Gaza” and that Hamas would be hit with a force it has “never seen before” if it did not release all remaining hostages it holds.
Egypt and Qatar, key mediators in the ceasefire deal, heavily condemned the Israeli assault along with many other foreign ministries around the world.
Hamas accused Israel of attacking “defenceless civilians” and urged mediators to hold the Netanyahu administration “fully responsible” for “violating and overturning” the ceasefire.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement ended two weeks ago but Israel is refusing to implement the scheduled second phase, which envisaged an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a definitive end to the war.
Evacuation orders have been issued by the IDF for a number of areas in Gaza, including Beit Hanoun, Khirbet Khuza’a, Abasan al-Kabira and Abasan al-Jadida.
Updated
An Israeli airstrike killed the spokesperson of the armed wing of the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad on Tuesday, as well as his wife and several members of his family, sources associated with the group said.
Naji Abu Saif, better known as Abu Hamza, was killed in an airstrike that targeted his house in central Gaza, the sources added.
Updated
France condemned on Tuesday Israeli strikes on Gaza, adding it was calling for an immediate halt to the violence, the French Foreign Affairs ministry said in a statement.
Palestinian health authorities say Israeli airstrikes killed more than 400 people, threatening the complete collapse of a two-month ceasefire as Israel vowed to use more force to free hostages held by Hamas.
Qatar’s prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Tuesday demanded immediate international action to compel Israel to implement an immediate ceasefire, abide by the Gaza ceasefire agreement and return to negotiations.
Updated
The border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip in Rafah is closed, a spokesperson for the European Commission said on Tuesday.
“The crossing point is closed and the EUBAM mission of the European Union has started to put in place emergency procedures to deal with the situation as it develops,” the spokesperson told reporters in Brussels.
There are reports of the Israeli airstrikes killing entire families in Gaza overnight (see post at 09.30).
Momen Qoreiqeh, who said he survived an attack in Gaza City that killed 26 relatives, has recalled his horrifying and devastating experience to Al Jazeera while at a hospital in Gaza City.
He said:
I was with all of my family and suddenly there was a big attack against our residential block.
The attack killed so many people from my family, some of whom we still haven’t recovered from under the rubble…
So far we’ve managed to recover about 26 bodies from my family and 20 other people who were with us.
Updated
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) has released the following joint statement:
The IDF and ISA are continuing to strike terror targets belonging to the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations across Gaza.
The targets struck over the past few hours include terrorist cells, launch posts, weapons stockpiles, and additional military infrastructure used by these terror organizations to plan and execute attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.
As a reminder, Gaza’s health ministry said many children and women were among the Palestinian people killed in the wave of airstrikes launched by Israel on the territory overnight.
More than 400 people have been killed in the attacks with hundreds more injured in hospitals, according to officials.
Palestinians flee Gaza neighbourhoods following Israeli evacuation orders - in pictures
The Israeli military has ordered Palestinian people to evacuate eastern Gaza, including much of the northern town of Beit Hanoun and other communities further south (namely Khirbet Khuza’a, Abasan al-Kabira and Abasan al-Jadida) and head toward the centre of the territory.
Here are some of the latest images of Palestinians, many of whom have only just recently returned to their devastated homes during the brief ceasefire period, fleeing Israeli bombardments again:
Why has Israel decided to launch the huge wave of deadly airstrikes on Gaza now?
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that he ordered the airstrikes because of a lack of progress in talks to extend the ceasefire. Officials said the attacks were open-ended and are expected to expand.
The Guardian’s international security correspondent, Jason Burke, has written up a useful explainer about other reasons why the airstrikes were launched, with Netanyahu, still facing huge opposition from much of the Israeli public, emboldened by the Trump administration. Here is an extract from his story:
Israeli officials say targeting the Hamas leadership, which has re-emerged in recent weeks to again take control of Gaza, will bring about the release of more hostages. Many hostage families in Israel dispute this.
More practically, Israel now has capabilities it lacked six weeks ago. Ammunition stocks have been replenished – partly due to US deliveries – and new potential targets among Hamas’ leaders identified. Planes and other equipment have been repaired. Troops have been rested…
Netanyahu needs support from rightwing allies to win crucial votes in Israel’s parliament in coming days and weeks, and to maintain his grip on power. These allies have fiercely opposed a permanent end to hostilities in Gaza, with one resigning from his ministerial post in protest at the January ceasefire. This vital support is now assured – at least in the short term.
Netanyahu is also on trial for corruption. If found guilty, he could face prison. On Tuesday, a court approved Netanyahu’s request not to appear at a hearing on Tuesday “due to the renewal of the war”, Israeli media reported.
On Sunday, Netanyahu announced he would seek to dismiss the head of the Israeli’s internal security service. This has been seen as a further attempt to override democratic checks in Israel and big protests are expected later this week. These can now be portrayed as unpatriotic by Netanyahu’s supporters.
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Classes suspended in dozens of Gaza schools after Israeli airstrikes
Gaza’s education ministry, run by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, says classes have now been suspended in dozens of schools that had recently reopened.
Schools shut down across Gaza after October 2023, with most converted to shelters for displaced people.
The ministry said it had resumed classes in around 70 schools in recent weeks.
Updated
Egypt, a key mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks, has called the Israeli attacks a “flagrant violation of the ceasefire deal”.
In a statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry said that it rejects “all Israeli attacks which aim to … make ongoing efforts to de-escalate and regain stability fail”.
It called for the international community to “to immediately intervene to stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip”.
Earlier this month, Arab leaders adopted an Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza put forward as an alternative to Donald Trump’s proposal for the effective ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the territory.
Cairo has been a key diplomatic site for officials working on the next stages of three-phase ceasefire deal, which has collapsed following the overnight Israeli airstrikes.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement ended two weeks ago but Israel is refusing to implement the scheduled second phase, which envisaged an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a definitive end to the war.
A spokesperson for the Israeli foreign ministry said this morning that the airstrikes were launched on Gaza overnight because “Hamas repeatedly refused the proposal to extend the ceasefire and release our hostages”.
“From this point forward, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military intensity,” Oren Marmorstein said, echoing comments from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has accused Hamas of “repeated refusal” to release hostages and of rejecting proposals from Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, for an extension of the supposed pause in hostilities.
In a statement issued shortly after strikes began, Israel Katz, Israel’s defence minister, said “the gates of hell will open in Gaza” and that Hamas would be hit with a force it has “never seen before” if it did not release all remaining hostages it holds.
Updated
Hamas says US 'bears full responsibility for Israeli massacres' in Gaza
Hamas says the US “bears full responsibility for the massacres” in Gaza, after the White House confirmed Israel had consulted the Trump administration before it carried out the overnight airstrikes that officials say have killed more than 400 Palestinian people.
“With its unlimited political and military support for the occupation (Israel), Washington bears full responsibility for the massacres and the killing of women and children in Gaza,” Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, said in a statement.
“The international community is urged to take immediate action to hold the occupation and its supporters accountable for these crimes against humanity,” it adds.
Many countries have heavily condemned the Israeli airstrikes. Here is some of the latest reaction from around the world:
Belgium’s deputy prime minister Maxime Prevot condemned the airstrikes, saying their “heavy toll” undermines the objectives of the ceasefire with Hamas and makes the return of Israeli hostages less likely. “The blocking of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians constitutes a serious violation of international law,” he added in a post on X.
Robert Abela, Malta’s prime minister, said his government “strongly condemn” the “barbarous attacks” by the Israeli military on the Gaza Strip.
Switzerland’s foreign ministry reacted to the deadly overnight airstrikes by stressing “the obligation to protect the civilian population”. “Switzerland calls for an immediate return to the ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid,” it said in a post on X.
The Kremlin said it was concerned by what it called a large number of civilian casualties after the devastating Israeli attacks on Gaza.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the country “is highly concerned about the current situation between Israel and Palestine,” calling on the parties to “avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation of the situation, and prevent a larger-scale humanitarian disaster”.
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said the Israeli airstrikes are being launched “amid the ongoing blockade of food and medicine in the Strip and with the green light from the United States”. Esmail Baghaei described the attacks as a “continuation of genocide and ethnic cleansing” across the territory.
Updated
More than 400 Palestinian people killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes, officials say
Palestinian health authorities have raised the death toll from the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
Gaza’s health ministry said on Telegram the death toll from the airstrikes was 404, raised from 326. It gave the slightly higher figure of 413 on its WhatsApp channel.
Gaza’s health ministry has said over 660 injured Palestinian people have arrived at hospitals with many other victims of the airstrikes thought to be buried under rubble.
The Red Cross said many medical facilities in the Gaza Strip were “overwhelmed” in the aftermath of the attacks.
“What we heard from Palestine Crescent colleagues this morning is that many medical facilities are literally overwhelmed across Gaza,” Tommaso Della Longa, spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said at a briefing in Geneva.
Amid an ongoing aid block aid imposed by Israel, health facilities in Gaza are reporting shortages of basic medical supplies needed to treat injured people, such as painkillers.
Updated
At least four government officials killed in Israeli airstrikes, media office says
At least four government officials have been killed in the Israeli airstrikes, according to reports and Gaza’s government media office.
They are said to be: Mahmoud Abu Wafah, undersecretary of the ministry of interior, Issam al-Dalis, head of government public works, Ahmed al-Hatta, undersecretary of the ministry of justice, and Bahjat Abu Sultan, director general of the internal security service.
Hamas has been the sole ruler in the Gaza Strip since 2007. Israel has vowed to continue its assault on Gaza until the militant group’s military and governing capabilities are destroyed.
Updated
UN rights chief 'horrified' by deadly Israel airstrikes on Gaza
The UN rights chief, Volker Turk, has voiced horror at the Israeli airstrikes, which are the biggest wave launched on Gaza since the ceasefire – which was meant to pause hostilities – began in late January. There have been reports of many civilians being killed by Israeli attacks in the two months since the ceasefire came into effect but not in the numbers seen overnight.
“I am horrified by last night’s Israeli airstrikes and shelling in Gaza,” Turk said in a statement, adding that “this will add tragedy onto tragedy”.
“This nightmare must end immediately,” Turk said, adding that “the last 18 months of violence have made abundantly clear that there is no military path out of this crisis”.
“The only way forward is a political settlement, in line with international law. Israel’s resort to yet more military force will only heap further misery upon a Palestinian population already suffering catastrophic conditions,” he said.
“The hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. All those arbitrarily detained must be released immediately and unconditionally. The war must end permanently,” Turk said.
“We urge all parties with influence to do all in their power to achieve peace and avoid further suffering of civilians.”
Israel's 'massacre' of hundreds of Palestinians marks 'new phase in Gaza genocide policy' - Turkey says
Turkey’s foreign ministry has denounced Israel’s “massacre” of hundreds of Palestinian people in overnight airstrikes on Gaza as “a new phase” in its “genocide policy”, saying the Netanyahu government “defies humanity” through its breach of international law.
The massacre of hundreds of Palestinians in Israel’s attacks on Gaza this morning demonstrates that the Netanyahu government’s genocide policy has entered a new phase.
Israel defies humanity through its violations of international law and universal values in the gravest way.
At a time when efforts to achieve global peace and stability are intensifying, the aggression displayed by the Israeli government threatens the future of the region. It is unacceptable that Israel is causing a new spiral of violence.
The international community must take a decisive stance against Israel to ensure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
As Türkiye, we reiterate our unwavering support for the rightful cause of the Palestinian people and reaffirm our commitment to contributing to efforts aimed at securing peace and stability in the region.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been a vocal opponent of Israel’s war in Gaza. He has accused Israel of genocide, called for it to be punished in international courts and criticised western nations for backing the country’s military assault.
Six members of the same family killed in Israeli attack on car in Khan Younis – report
As we have been reporting, at least 330 Palestinian people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza overnight, in a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas that came into effect on 19 January. The head of Gaza’s health ministry, Mohammed Zaqut, was quoted as saying most of those who were killed were women and children.
Israeli attacks were reported in northern Gaza, in Gaza City and in the central cities of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.
Al Jazeera is reporting there has been another attack, this time on a car in the city of Abasan, east of Khan Younis, that has killed at least six people from the same family.
Updated
Israel has said 59 hostages are still being held captive in Gaza, with up to 24 believed to be alive.
We mentioned in an earlier post that families of Israeli hostages said the government had “chosen to abandon the hostages” by launching renewed airstrikes on Gaza.
In a new post on X, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued an “emergency call”, saying they are heading to Jerusalem to protest and are urging others to join in the demonstration.
The forum said:
Following the decision to resume military operations, which places 59 hostages at grave risk, their families are now making their way to Jerusalem and calling on the people of Israel to stand with them.
There is nothing more urgent than this! With each passing day, the danger to the hostages grows. Military pressure could further endanger their lives and complicate efforts to bring them home safely.
Reuters has a quick snap that Hamas has said communication with mediators over a Gaza ceasefire continues.
Clémence Lagouardat, Oxfam’s head of response in Gaza, has spoken to Sky News in the UK about the situation, saying that the population there is in a “very vulnerable and very fragile” condition.
She told viewers:
What I can tell you is it was a large scale attack. I think everyone in Gaza woke up around 2am. We had some pretty close calls from where we are currently having an office in Gaza City. And I think what speaks for itself is the number of casualties that are reported.
We witnessed smoke, bombs, the sounds of ambulances. We had to phone our entire team to make sure that they were safe, and that they were still OK. So it has been a very long night. We are also starting to assess what is the situation on the ground, what is the possibility of movement, and what will be happening in the next days.
It has been 17 days that nothing has entered the Gaza Strip. So we know that supplies are running low. As a reminder, there are 2.2 million people that are currently living here.
So even if there was a surge in the assistance at the beginning of the ceasefire, it goes fast. You need to feed, you need to treat 2.2 million people. So I think the situation in the hospitals is critical, and the care that is needed for the people that have been injured during the night is not there.
Ora Rubenstein, the aunt of one of the hostages that remains in captivity in Gaza, has told Hebrew media outlet Ynet that she is very concerned about the impact of renewed Israeli attacks on the safety of her nephew Bar Kuperstein. She accused Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of believing that “the coalition is more important than the kidnapped.”
Here are some more of the latest images sent over the news wires from Gaza, where renewed Israeli airstrikes are reported to have killed at least 326 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory.
Yemen’s Houthis have issued a statement in support of the Palestinian people after Israel renewed airstrikes on the territory. Al Jazeera quotes the group’s supreme political council saying “The Palestinian people will not be left alone in this battle, and Yemen will continue its support and assistance, and escalate confrontation steps.”
Donald Trump’s US administration has recently carried out a series of airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen, who have been disrupting shipping for months with attacks which they claim are directed at vessels with links to Israel.
The UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory has described Israel’s renewed assault on the territory as “unconscionable”.
Reuters reports Muhannad Hadi said in a statement that “a ceasefire must be reinstated immediately.”
Associated Press and Reuters are carrying an updated death toll from overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza, reporting that Gaza’s health ministry has said the Israeli strikes across the territory have killed at least 326 people.
More details soon …
At least 250 Palestinians reported killed by renewed Israeli airstrikes on Gaza
At least 250 Palestinians have been reported killed by renewed Israeli airstrikes on Gaza overnight. Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation had been carried out “to achieve the war objectives set by the political leadership, including the release of all the hostages”. Hamas described the attack as a “blatant violation of all international and humanitarian conventions.”
In a statement Netanyahu said the attack had been agreed jointly with Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz “after Hamas repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all the proposals it received from the US president’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from the mediators.”
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” the prime minister’s office said.
The Hamas-run government media office in the territory called on the international community to “break their silence and take immediate action” to prevent the Israeli attacks, and said rescue operations were being hampered by a lack of fuel. Israel controls the entry of goods and services into the Gaza Strip, and has been blockading humanitarian aid, having recently also cut off electricity supplies.
Palestinian health ministry officials claimed many of the dead were children, while the Israeli military claimed it hit dozens of what it termed “terror targets”. Access for international journalists to the Gaza Strip has been limited by Israel, and it has not been possible to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.
In Israel the Hostages and Missing Families Forum criticised the latest move, saying the Israeli government had “chosen to abandon the hostages” adding that “military pressure endangers both the hostages and the soldiers.”
59 hostages are believed to still remain in captivity in Gaza, having been seized by Hamas and other groups during the deadly 7 October 2023 attack inside southern Israel, when 251 people are believed to have been abducted. Not all of the remaining hostages are thought by Israeli authorities to be alive.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that Israeli security forces have been carrying out operations in Tubas and Bethlehem inside the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It also reports that at least 17 Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli forces in Nablus.
The renewed Israeli strikes on Gaza are the subject of our First Edition newsletter today. My colleague Archie Bland writes:
The first explosions were heard in north-west Gaza, as many ate their pre-dawn meals during the holy month of Ramadan. The airstrikes hit Gaza City in the north, Deir al-Balah in the centre, and Khan Younis and Rafah in the south. Israel claimed that it had hit “terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation”.
Witnesses and photographs taken at Gaza’s hospitals suggested that many civilians, including children, were among the dead, with piles of bodies stacked up under white plastic sheets. AFP quoted Ramez Alammarin, 25, who described carrying children to a hospital near Gaza City. “They unleashed the fire of hell again on Gaza,” he said. “Bodies and limbs are on the ground, and the wounded cannot find any doctor to treat them. They bombed a building in the area and there are still martyrs and wounded under the rubble … fear and terror. Death is better than life.”
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought to blame Hamas’ refusal to release the remaining hostages without moving to a second phase for the resumption of strikes in Gaza; Donald Trump recently said that unless Hamas immediately released all remaining hostages, “not a single Hamas member will be safe”. He also appeared to threaten civilians in Gaza.
But Hamas has been reluctant to give up its sole remaining source of leverage without a move to the second phase of talks. It said last week that it was ready to release American-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander and the bodies of four others, but US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff rejected that offer and said that Hamas had privately made unrealistic demands.
You can read more here: Tuesday briefing – major Israeli airstrikes break fragile peace
Here are some of the latest images from Gaza sent over the news wires.
Associated Press reports that the Israeli military has ordered people to evacuate eastern Gaza and move toward the centre of the territory after Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes.
The orders issued on Tuesday indicate Israel could launch renewed ground operations.
Despite pleas from the hostage families, Israel has said will fight on in Gaza for “as long as the hostages are not returned”, defence minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday after Israel resumed air strikes on the battered territory.
“We will not stop fighting as long as the hostages are not returned home and all our war aims are not achieved,” Katz said.
Apart from the release of the remaining hostages, Israel’s other main war aim is to crush Hamas.
Statement from the families of hostages
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum released a statement on Tuesday condemning the renewed attacks in Gaza.
The claim that the war is being renewed for the release of the hostages is a complete deception – military pressure endangers the hostages and soldiers,” the statement read. “We must return to the cease-fire.”
For a full take of events, please read this dispatch from our correspondents, Jason Burke in Jerusalem and Malak A Tantesh in Gaza.
More than 200 people have been killed and hundreds more injured as Israeli military forces hit dozens of targets across Gaza early on Tuesday, effectively ending the increasingly shaky ceasefire that had halted violence in the devastated Palestinian territory since mid January.
Palestinian health authorities reported a total of 235 deaths and 300 injured by 7am local time, five hours after the strikes began.
The full report is below:
Updated
Hamas sources say Israel strikes killed general who headed Gaza interior ministry
Two Hamas sources told Agence France Presse on Tuesday that Israel’s overnight strikes on Gaza killed general Mahmud Abu Watfa, who headed the militant movement’s interior ministry in the territory.
Abu Watfa, who headed Hamas’s police and internal security services in the Gaza Strip, was killed in a strike on Gaza City, said the two sources, one of them an official at the interior ministry.
What we know so far:
Hello and thank you for following our live coverage of events in the Middle East.
Early on Tuesday Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across the Gaza strip, saying it was hitting Hamas targets in its heaviest assault in the territory since a ceasefire took effect in January.
The surprise attack shattered a period of relative calm during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and raised the prospect of a full return to fighting in a 17-month war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza.
Tuesday’s strikes have resulted in a heavy death toll, with Gaza’s health ministry saying that more than 200 people have been killed, many of whom were women and children.
Here is a brief recap of everything you need to know.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in ongoing talks to extend the ceasefire. He accused Hamas of “repeated refusal to release our hostages” and rejecting proposals from US President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” it said in a statement. Officials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand.
Hamas warned that Israel’s new airstrikes breached their ceasefire and put the fate of hostages in jeopardy. A senior Hamas official said Netanyahu’s decision to launch widespread strikes on the Gaza strip amounted to a “death sentence” for the remaining hostages held there. In a statement early on Tuesday, Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, accused Netanyahu of resuming the war to try and save his far-right governing coalition.
Strikes were reported in multiple locations, including northern Gaza, Gaza City and the Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah in central and southern Gaza Strip.
Israel’s ambassador to UN has vowed that strikes would continue, saying that: “Nothing will stop us from fighting to free our hostages who have been held in brutal Hamas captivity for 527 days. We will show no mercy against our enemies while our hostages languish in Hamas terror tunnels.”
The Israeli military has also said the strikes would continue as long as necessary and could extend beyond airstrikes, raising the prospect that Israeli ground troops could resume fighting, according to Reuters.
Tuesday’s attacks have been far wider in scale than the regular series of drone strikes the Israeli military has said it has conducted against individuals or small groups of suspected militants and follows weeks of failed efforts to agree an extension to the truce agreed on January 19.
The White House has confirmed it was briefed in advance about Israel’s attack on Gaza, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt quoted by US media as saying that those who seek to terrorise Israel and the US “will see a price to pay”. “Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war,” White House spokesperson Brian Hughes said.
The return to fighting could worsen deep internal fissures inside Israel over the fate of the remaining hostages, Associated Press reports. Many of the hostages released by Hamas returned emaciated and malnourished, putting heavy pressure on the government to extend the ceasefire.
Updated
Tolls rises to 235, according to Gaza hospitals
The Associated Press reports that Israel’s strikes on Gaza have killed at least 235 people, according to local hospitals. The toll is based on records from seven hospitals and does not include bodies brought to other, smaller health centres.
Rescuers are still searching for dead and wounded.
This video report shows the strikes on Gaza and ambulances rushing the injured to hospital.
Key event
The return to fighting could worsen deep internal fissures inside Israel over the fate of the remaining hostages, Associated Press reports:
Many of the hostages released by Hamas returned emaciated and malnourished, putting heavy pressure on the government to extend the ceasefire.
The released hostages have repeatedly implored the government to press ahead with the ceasefire to return all remaining hostages, and tens of thousands of Israelis have taken part in mass demonstrations calling for a ceasefire and return of all hostages.
Mass demonstrations are planned later on Tuesday and Wednesday following Netanyahu’s announcement this week that he wants to fire the head of Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet. Critics have lambasted the move as an attempt by Netanyahu to divert blame for his government’s failures in the October 7 attack and handling of the war.
Agence-France Presse has also spoken to people inside Gaza who have given accounts of the strikes.
Mohammed Jarghoun, 36, was sleeping in a tent near his destroyed house in Khan Yunis when he was woken by huge blasts.
“I thought they were dreams and nightmares, but I saw a fire in my relatives’ house. More than twenty martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women.”
Ramez Alammarin, 25, described carrying children to hospital southeast of Gaza City.
“They unleashed the fire of hell again on Gaza,” he said of Israel, adding that “bodies and limbs are on the ground, and the wounded cannot find any doctor to treat them.
“They bombed a building in the area and there are still martyrs and wounded under the rubble... fear and terror. Death is better than life.”
Updated
Some images are dropping from Gaza, showing destruction from the strikes:
Key event
Associated Press has some updates from the ground in Gaza:
In the southern city of Khan Younis, Associated Press reporters saw explosions and plumes of smoke. Ambulances brought wounded people to Nasser Hospital, where patients lay on the floor, some screaming. A young boy sat with a bandage around his head as a health worker checked for more injuries, a young girl cried as her bloody arm was bandaged.
A strike on a home in the southern city of Rafah killed 17 members of one family, including at least 12 women and children, according to the European Hospital, which received the bodies. The dead included five children, their parents, and another father and his three children, according to hospital records.
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.
“Nobody wants to fight,” Palestinian resident Nidal Alzaanin told the AP by phone from Gaza City. “Everyone is still suffering from the previous months,” he said.
Updated
Hamas official says strikes are 'death sentence' for hostages
Agence France-Presse reports that a top Hamas official has said that Israel decided to sacrifice its hostages by re-launching massive military operations in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
Benjamin “Netanyahu’s decision to resume war is a decision to sacrifice the occupation’s prisoners and impose a death sentence on them,” Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq said in a statement, adding that the Israeli premier was using the fighting as a political “lifeboat” to distract from internal crises.
Houthis claim new attack on American warships, report new US strikes
Iran-backed Houthis on Tuesday claimed their third attack on American warships in 48 hours, despite US strikes targeting the rebel group in Yemen that have sparked mass protests, Agence France Presse reports.
The Houthis said on Telegram they had targeted the USS Harry S. Truman carrier group with missiles and drones, making the attack the “third in the past 48 hours” in the northern Red Sea.
A US defence official said the Houthis “continue to communicate lies and disinformation,” adding the Iran-backed group is “well known for false claims minimizing the results of our attacks while exaggerating the successes of theirs”.
A US Air Force official earlier said it was “hard to confirm” the attacks claimed by the Houthis as the rebels were missing their targets “by over 100 miles”.
Houthi media said fresh US strikes hit Yemen on Monday after tens of thousands demonstrated, many waving assault rifles, daggers or Korans, chanting “Death to America, death to Israel!” in the capital Sanaa.
There were also large crowds in Saada, the birthplace of the Huthi movement, and demonstrations in Dhamar, Hodeida and Amran, footage from the rebels’ Al-Masirah TV station showed.
The Houthis have targeted ships traveling the major trade route since the start of the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.
The scale of Tuesday's attacks
The Israeli military, which said it hit dozens of targets, said the strikes would continue for as long as necessary and would extend beyond air strikes, raising the prospect that Israeli ground troops could resume fighting, according to a report from Reuters news.
The attacks were far wider in scale than the regular series of drone strikes the Israeli military has said it has conducted against individuals or small groups of suspected militants and follows weeks of failed efforts to agree an extension to the truce agreed on January 19.
Israel’s ambassador to UN vows that strikes will continue
“The Security Council will convene tomorrow to discuss the situation in Gaza. It is time for the countries of the world to take seriously our unwavering commitment to bring back all our hostages home and defeat the enemy,” he said, in a post on X.
“Nothing will stop us from fighting to free our hostages who have been held in brutal Hamas captivity for 527 days. We will show no mercy against our enemies while our hostages languish in Hamas terror tunnels.”
NGOs warn that strikes may result in humanitarian aid stoppage
Commenting on the fresh strikes in Gaza, Sally Thomas, humanitarian manager at Caritas Australia, warned the strikes would impact distribution
“In the first month of the ceasefire around 56 ,000 metric tons of food entered Gaza, more than double the amount in the month prior. Alongside this, humanitarians have been working to take care of an estimated 350,000 chronically ill people in Gaza, where there are just 108 ICY beds remaining, and a lack of necessities such as oxygen and vital medical equipment,” she said in a statement.
“However, what we have seen so far in this conflict is the safety of humanitarians and civilians – including children, the disabled and elderly – is not being upheld. This leaves humanitarian organisations with a very low level of trust that their staff might return from aid missions.
“These recent strikes may therefore result in the stoppage of aid to the most remote and dangerous areas where the need is often the greatest, despite ongoing ceasefire conditions that should enable the safe delivery of aid.”
Thomas urged global leaders to apply diplomatic and political pressure to protect the world’s most vulnerable.
“Our global conscience, and of course the vulnerable people in Gaza, simply cannot afford for this work to stop,” she said, “We must not tolerate further suffering.”
Gaza health ministry says Israeli strikes kill at least 200 people across Gaza
The death toll from this new wave of strikes continues to rise.
Israeli strikes on Tuesday have now killed at least 200 people across the Gaza Strip, the spokesperson of Gaza’s health ministry, Khalil Al-Deqran, told Reuters.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in talks to extend the ceasefire.
Officials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand.
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Netanyahu’s office said.
The surprise attack shattered a period of relative calm during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and raised the prospect of a full return to fighting in a 17-month war that has killed over 48,000 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.
Updated
Gaza rescuers say death toll from Israeli strikes rises to 121
Gaza’s civil defence agency said the death toll from the massive operation Israel launched on Tuesday has risen to 121 people, mostly women, children and the elderly, according to AFP.
“Over 121 martyrs, most of them children, women, and the elderly, are the initial toll of the aggression,” said agency spokesman Mahmud Basal.
Israeli official says Gaza offensive to last 'as long as necessary’
An Israeli official has tole Agence France Presse that the extensive operation launched across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday was targeting Hamas leadership and infrastructure and would last “as long as necessary”.
The Israeli military “has launched a series of preemptive strikes targeting mid-ranking military commanders, leadership officials and terrorist infrastructure belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation,” the official, who declined to be named, said, adding that the operation “will continue as long as necessary, and will expand beyond air strikes”.
Death toll rises to 100, says Palestinian health ministry
The Israeli military said it hit targets across Gaza early on Tuesday, ending a weeks-long standoff over extending the ceasefire that halted fighting in January, with Palestinian health ministry officials reporting at least 100 dead, according to a report from Reuters news.
Strikes were reported in multiple locations, including northern Gaza, Gaza City and the Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah in central and southern Gaza Strip. Palestinian health ministry officials said many of the dead were children.
White House confirms it was briefed in advance of Gaza attack
The White House has confirmed it was briefed in advance about Israel’s attack on Gaza, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt quoted by US media as saying that those who seek to terrorise Israel and the US “will see a price to pay”. According to NBC Leavitt said:
The Trump administration and the White House were consulted by the Israelis on their attacks in Gaza tonight. And as President Trump has made it clear, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran – all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel but also the United States of America – will see a price to pay.
All hell will break loose, and all of the terrorists in the Middle East – again, the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, Iranian-backed terror proxies and Iran themselves – should take President Trump very seriously when he says he is not afraid to stand for law-abiding people. He is not afraid to stand up for the United States of America and our friend and our ally Israel.
Death toll rises to 80, children among those killed in Israeli strikes 'targeting Hamas'
The death toll has risen to at least 80 Palestinians, including many children, medics have told Reuters.
Incredibly distressing images are already appearing from Gaza showing the bodies of children in hospital morgues, killed in what Israel claims are strikes targeting Hamas.
Anas al-Sharif, a reporter for Al Jazeera, wrote on X that “Nine dismembered bodies, mostly women and children, have arrived at Al-Kuwait Specialized Hospital following Israeli bombardment on Al-Mawasi, Khan Yunis.”
Later he added, “Martyrs, mostly children, arrive at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after Israeli strikes targeted civilian homes in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.”
His posts showed the bodies of at least eight dead children.
Many of the casualties appeared to be arriving on donkey carts due to the lack of fuel caused by Israel’s blockade on aid.
It is not possible for the Guardian to verify the reports as Israel does not allow foreign journalists into the devastated territory.
Updated
Israel has unilaterally ended ceasefire, Hamas officials says
A senior Hamas official has told Reuters that Israel is unilaterally ending the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
They said the move would expose Israeli hostages to an unknown fate.
Israel believes there are about two dozen living hostages in Gaza, including one Thai and one Nepali. It also believes there are about 35 dead hostages who remain in the territory.
Netanyahu threatens Hamas with 'increasing military strength' as children reported among dead
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he and defence minister Israel Katz have told the military to take “strong action” against Hamas in Gaza, even as reports from the territory said that children were among the dead.
In a post on X, Netanyahu’s office said:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have instructed the IDF to take strong action against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.
This follows Hamas’s 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 IDF is, at this time, attacking targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip in order to achieve the objectives of the war as they have been determined by the political echelon including the release of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased.
Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength. The operational plan was presented by the IDF over the weekend and approved by the political leadership.
Israel has refused to stick to the terms of the ceasefire deal that it agreed with Hamas and has repeatedly violated it since it began at the end of January, killing more than 100 Palestinians and also blocking all aid for the past two weeks.
Opening summary
The White House has confirmed it was briefed in advance after Israel resumed what it said were “extensive strikes” on Gaza, reportedly killing dozens of Palestinian people.
The strikes are Israel’s heaviest assault on the territory since a ceasefire took effect in January.
The move came after Hamas refused to agree to its demands to extend phase one of the ceasefire agreement.
In Gaza, explosions could be heard at various locations and ambulances were arriving at Al Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza.
The Palestinian civil emergency service said Israel carried out at least 35 airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 30 people. In Gaza City, medics reported that at least eight Palestinians, including children, had been killed.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement cited by Israeli media that the attacks had “the goal of achieving the war objectives as determined by the political leadership, including the release of all our hostages – both the living and the fallen”.
“This follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages and its rejection of all the proposals it received from US president’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from the mediators,” the statement said.
Three houses were hit in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, a building in Gaza City, and targets in Khan Younis and Rafah, according to medics and witnesses.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement ended two weeks ago but Israel has refused to implement the scheduled second phase, which is supposed to end with its withdrawal from Gaza, the freedom of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, and a definitive end to the conflict.
It has also blocked all aid to Gaza over the past two weeks, in violation of the ceasefire deal, in a bid to force Hamas to accept its demands. The move has been condemned by countries including the UK, France and Germany.
