The Israeli military has launched a large-scale airstrike operation in the Gaza Strip, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting at least 220 Palestinian fatalities.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the strikes targeted “terror-related sites” belonging to Hamas. One of the key figures reportedly killed was Mahmoud Abu Wafah, Gaza’s deputy interior minister and a high-ranking Hamas security official.
This marks the most intense wave of Israeli airstrikes since the ceasefire began on January 19. Mediation efforts to extend the truce failed, leading to a resumption of hostilities.
Residents of Gaza reported that the strikes began just before dawn while many were having their pre-fasting meal for Ramadan. Witnesses described seeing more than 20 Israeli warplanes in the sky before a series of explosions hit locations in Gaza City, Rafah, and Khan Younis.
A statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he and Defense Minister Israel Katz had ordered the strikes early Tuesday morning. The statement cited Hamas’s refusal to release Israeli hostages and its rejection of multiple ceasefire proposals from U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and other mediators as reasons for the escalation.
“Israel will now intensify its military actions against Hamas,” the statement added, noting that the military plan had been prepared by the IDF over the weekend and approved by Israel’s political leadership.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, warned Hamas that unless it releases all hostages, “we will show no mercy to our enemies.”
Hamas condemned the strikes, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire and jeopardizing the lives of remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. However, Hamas has not officially declared an end to the ceasefire, instead calling for international mediators and the United Nations to intervene.
A White House spokesperson confirmed that Israel had consulted the U.S. government before launching the strikes.
Negotiators had been working on extending the ceasefire, with a U.S.-led proposal aiming to continue the truce until mid-April. This would have included further exchanges of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. However, a Palestinian official familiar with the talks told the BBC that disagreements between Israel and Hamas over key terms prevented an agreement from being reached.
The current conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s subsequent military offensive has since killed over 48,520 people, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, which are also used by the UN and other international organizations.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen, with most of the enclave’s 2.1 million residents displaced multiple times. Around 70% of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, and essential services, including healthcare, water, and sanitation, are collapsing. Severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and shelter persist as the conflict escalates.
