Israel has battered the Gaza Strip with a wave of airstrikes which has killed hundreds of people and put the ceasefire in danger.
Hospitals initially reported at least 235 people killed, including women and children but reports now say this has risen to at least 330, during the heaviest assault on the territory since a ceasefire took effect in January. The shock 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.
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.
The White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel’s actions while Hamas warned that Israel’s new airstrikes breached their ceasefire and put the fate of hostages in jeopardy.
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Anadolu via Getty Images)
An order has been made by the Israeli military for people to evacuate eastern Gaza and move toward the centre after carrying out the wave of airstrikes across the territory. The request issued today also indicates Israel could launch renewed ground operations.
A prison run by the Hamas-led government in Gaza Strip has been hit, killing dozens of prisoners and policemen, according to hospital records. The prison was located in the urban Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. Associated Press footage showed a collapsed building and people trying to reach bodies buried under the rubble.
The bodies of more than three dozen prisoners and guards were taken to the nearby Shifa hospital. The Hamas-run government operates a police force that numbered in the tens of thousands before the war and quickly returned to the streets after a ceasefire took hold in January.
The Hamas-run Education Ministry in the Gaza Strip says classes have been suspended in dozens of schools that had recently reopened. Schools shut down across Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the war, and most were converted to shelters for displaced people but the ministry said it had resumed classes in around 70 schools in recent weeks.
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Anadolu via Getty Images)
A United Nations staffer in the Gaza Strip described a “very tough night” as Israel resumed heavy strikes across the territory after a nearly two-month ceasefire. Rosalia Bollen, a communications specialist with the U.N. children’s agency, said she woke up around 2am on Tuesday to “very loud explosions.”
She said the UNICEF base near the southern city of Rafah “was shaking very heavily.” When the strikes subsided, she heard “people yelling, people screaming and ambulances.”
“The bombardments have continued throughout the night,” though at a lower intensity than the initial barrage, she said. “The whole night, there’s been just the constant buzzing of drones and planes flying over.” She said the strikes hit tents and structures housing displaced families. “We’re seeing, as of this morning, at least several dozen children killed,” she stated.
The main group representing the families of hostages held in Gaza has slammed the decision to return to fighting, saying the move shows the government “chose to give up on the hostages.” The Hostages Families Forum said “military pressure endangers hostages.” It asked the government in a post on X why it “backed out of the agreement” with Hamas that set out a release of all the living hostages in exchange for an end to the war.
“We are shocked, angry, and terrified by the deliberate dismantling of the process to return our loved ones from the terrible captivity of Hamas,” the group said.
But a key governing partner of Netanyahu welcomed the return to fighting in Gaza. Bezalel Smotrich had threatened to leave the government if fighting did not resume, which would imperil Netanyahu’s rule. Critics said those political considerations were influencing Netanyahu’s wartime decision-making.
“We remained in the government for this moment despite our opposition to the (ceasefire) deal, and we are more determined than ever to complete the task and destroy Hamas,” Smotrich posted on X.
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