Israel resumes strikes against Hamas militants in Gaza

GAZA,— Israeli airstrikes killed at least 200 people in Gaza early Tuesday, targeting Islamist Hamas leaders and key positions across the enclave, as the military launched a large-scale assault following weeks of deadlocked negotiations over a ceasefire extension, Gaza health officials said.

The Israeli military confirmed strikes across the enclave, targeting what it described as Hamas positions in northern Gaza, Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah. Officials said the operation could escalate further.

The renewed violence ended a fragile truce that had been in place since Jan. 19. Israel had conducted limited drone strikes in recent weeks, but Tuesday’s attacks were significantly larger.

Hospitals, already struggling after more than a year of bombardment, were overwhelmed. Medical workers reported bodies stacked in corridors and injured civilians arriving in private vehicles.

The Gaza Red Crescent said its teams had handled at least 86 fatalities and 134 wounded, but hospitals in Khan Younis, central Gaza, and Gaza City reported a combined death toll of at least 85. Separately, authorities in Rafah said 16 members of a single family were killed.

A spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry said the total death toll had surpassed 200.

The Islamist radical Hamas group, which controls Gaza, accused Israel of breaking the truce and warned of further escalation.

Israel said Hamas had rejected proposals to release the remaining 59 hostages in exchange for an extended ceasefire. “Hamas has refused multiple offers and left Israel no choice but to act,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

In Washington, White House spokesperson Brian Hughes said Israel had coordinated with U.S. officials before launching the strikes. “Hamas had an opportunity to prolong the ceasefire by releasing hostages but instead chose conflict,” Hughes said.

Residents in Gaza reported Israeli tank fire near Rafah, forcing many families to flee to Khan Younis.

Efforts to extend the ceasefire had been ongoing in Doha, with mediators from Egypt and Qatar. The initial truce saw 33 Israeli and five Thai hostages freed in exchange for 2,000 Arab detainees from West Bank and Gaza.

Israel sought a deal that would secure the return of 59 remaining hostages while extending the ceasefire past Ramadan and Passover. Hamas demanded a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal.

“Hamas holds Israel responsible for violating the agreement,” the group said in a statement.

Both sides had accused each other of failing to uphold the ceasefire, with intermittent disruptions over the past weeks. Israel had blocked aid shipments and repeatedly warned of military action if Hamas did not release the remaining hostages.

Hamas sources confirmed the death of senior political official Mohammad al-Jmasi, along with family members, in a strike on his home. At least five senior Hamas figures and their relatives were among the dead.

The latest escalation follows 15 months of conflict that began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians and children, in Israel and abducted 251 hostages, according to Israeli reports.

The war has since killed approximately 20,000 jihadi Hamas militants in Gaza, according to Israel.

While Gaza authorities claim more than 48,000 deaths since the conflict began, the accuracy of this figure is uncertain, as the authorities are controlled by Hamas or affiliated groups. Large sections of the enclave, including hospitals and key infrastructure, have been severely damaged.

(With files from Reuters)