At the least 342 Palestinians have been killed as Israel launched an enormous assault on Gaza, shattering the delicate two-month-old ceasefire with Hamas.
These killed in Tuesday’s assault included not less than 77 folks in Khan Younis in southern Gaza and not less than 20 folks in Gaza Metropolis within the north, medical sources instructed Al Jazeera. Israeli strikes additionally hit areas in central Deir el-Balah and Rafah within the south.
Lots of them had been youngsters, Gaza’s Ministry of Well being mentioned.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned he ordered the army to take “robust motion” in opposition to Hamas over its refusal to launch captives taken from Israel or comply with gives to increase the ceasefire.
“Israel will, any further, act in opposition to Hamas with growing army energy,” the Prime Minister’s Workplace mentioned in an announcement.
The Israeli army mentioned on Telegram that it was conducting “intensive strikes on terror targets” belonging to Hamas.
Hamas, which governs Gaza, mentioned 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 choice to overturn the ceasefire settlement, exposing prisoners in Gaza to an unknown destiny,” Hamas mentioned in an announcement. It known as on folks in Arab and Islamic nations, together with the “free folks 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 succeed in a ceasefire”.
‘Stays of their youngsters’ of their fingers
Ahmed Abu Rizq, a instructor in Gaza, mentioned he and his household woke as much as the sound of “Israeli strikes all over the place”.
“We had been frightened, our youngsters had been frightened. We had many calls from our kin to examine, to examine [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 mentioned the strikes had been targeting closely built-up neighbourhoods, makeshift faculties and residential buildings the place folks have been sheltering.
“We now have heard prior to now 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 mentioned, including that a number of high-ranking Hamas officers had additionally been killed.
Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks stalled
The Authorities Media Workplace in Gaza mentioned: “These brutal massacres dedicated by the Israeli occupation military reaffirm that this occupation solely understands the language of killing, destruction, and genocide. They expose the true intentions of the occupation in shedding the blood of harmless folks with out the slightest ethical or authorized restraint, proving that they’ve a premeditated plan to proceed committing genocide in opposition to youngsters and ladies, as seen on the bottom. It confirms that that is an occupation thirsty for blood.”
Negotiations on the second part 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 for the reason that begin of the ceasefire.
Whereas Israel didn’t explicitly declare an finish to the ceasefire, senior officers indicated that the assault on Gaza would proceed.
Israeli Minister of Defence Israel Katz mentioned the “gates of hell” would open within the enclave if the remaining captives weren’t launched.
“We is not going to cease preventing till all the hostages return residence and all of the conflict’s goals are achieved,” Katz mentioned in an announcement.
Reporting from Jordan’s Amman, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut mentioned that whereas Israel has accused Hamas of rejecting numerous proposals made by negotiators, talks had been stalled after Netanyahu refused to start negotiations on part 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 mentioned that this was the plan all alongside – a resumption of the preventing, to return to full-scale conflict,” Salhut mentioned.
“And actually, there’s a new military chief of workers, one who mentioned that 2025 goes to be a 12 months of conflict – noting that Israel nonetheless has plenty of objectives to perform in relation to the Gaza Strip, that means that they’re under no circumstances completed with their army motion.”
White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned Israel had consulted with United States President Donald Trump in regards to the strikes.
Israel’s 18-month conflict on Gaza has levelled a lot of the enclave, lowering houses, hospitals and faculties to rubble.
Israeli forces have thus far killed greater than 48,000 folks within the territory, in response to Palestinian well being authorities.
