A girl cries whereas sitting on the rubble of her home, destroyed in an Israeli strike, within the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
Eyad Baba/AFP by way of Getty Photos
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Eyad Baba/AFP by way of Getty Photos
Israel launched a wave of lethal assaults towards Gaza Tuesday, a transfer that seems to have put an finish to the delicate ceasefire that got here into impact virtually two months in the past and aimed toward ending virtually 16 months of warfare.
The estimated variety of casualties fluctuated within the early hours following the airstrikes as rescue staff sought to search out victims. In a launch on its official Telegram channel, the Gaza Ministry of Well being mentioned hospitals within the Gaza Strip have acquired 254 individuals who died in intensive Israeli airstrikes. Greater than 440 had accidents.
Well being officers mentioned, “a lot of victims are nonetheless below the rubble, and efforts are underway to recuperate them.”
Israel’s Protection Minister Israel Katz mentioned the assaults have been launched as a result of Hamas was refusing to launch extra hostages, after liberating 33 within the preliminary six-week section of the ceasefire plan reached in January.
“Final night time, we resumed preventing in Gaza as a result of Hamas’ refusal to launch the hostages and its threats to hurt [Israeli] troopers and Israeli communities. If Hamas doesn’t launch all of the hostages, the gates of hell will open in Gaza, and Hamas’ murderers and rapists will face the IDF with unprecedented drive. We won’t cease preventing till all of the hostages return residence and all warfare goals are achieved,” Katz mentioned in an announcement.
White Home spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt informed Fox Information that the Trump administration had been consulted by the Israelis concerning the strikes.
“As President Trump has made it clear — Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, all those that search to terrorize not simply Israel, but in addition america of America, will see a value to pay. All hell will break free,” Leavitt mentioned.
The collection of assaults appeared to finish the present ceasefire that took impact on Jan. 19, 2025, pushed by way of by the outgoing U.S. administration of president Joe Biden and by the incoming administration of President Trump.
Beneath that ceasefire deal, the 2 sides agreed to an preliminary section of six weeks through which Hamas launched 33 of hostages, each dwelling and useless, held since its assault on Israel in October 2023. In return, Israel launched near 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees who had been held in Israeli prisons. That section ended initially of March, however the second section — During which talks designed to finish the warfare have been as a result of start — didn’t begin.
As an alternative, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu introduced earlier this month that Trump’s Center East envoy Steven Witkoff had proposed a brand new plan through which Hamas would launch round half of the remaining hostages in alternate for an extension of the ceasefire, throughout which talks would begin for an enduring resolution to the disaster. Hamas rebuffed the brand new proposal, and Israel blocked all help from getting into the Gaza Strip in an effort to drive Hamas to agree.
