Palestinian health authorities have disclosed that at least 200 people have been killed in a fresh wave of Israeli airstrikes across Gaza as renewed hostilities shattered the ceasefire that had been in place since January.
The early Tuesday attacks reportedly struck multiple locations, including northern Gaza, Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah in the central and southern parts of the territory. Officials from the Palestinian health ministry said many of the casualties were children.
According to Reuters, the Israeli military confirmed it had hit dozens of targets and signalled that operations would continue, warning that its campaign could expand beyond aerial assaults.
The military described the latest attacks as broader in scope than its usual drone strikes on suspected militants, coming after weeks of unsuccessful negotiations to extend the truce agreed on January 19.
Hospitals already overwhelmed by 15 months of intense bombardment struggled to cope with the influx of casualties. Scenes of chaos unfolded as bodies wrapped in blood-stained white plastic sheets piled up, with some victims brought in by private cars due to strained emergency services.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported handling 86 dead and 134 wounded, while hospitals including Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, and Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza City, all heavily damaged in the war, confirmed receiving around 85 fatalities. Separately, authorities said 16 members of a single family were killed in Rafah.
A spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry put the total death toll at no less than 200.
Hamas condemned the Israeli attacks, accusing the government of abandoning the ceasefire agreement and leaving the status of 59 hostages still held in Gaza unclear.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office responded by accusing Hamas of “repeated refusal to release our hostages” and rejecting offers from U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff. “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” it said in a statement.
In Washington, a White House spokesperson confirmed Israel had consulted the U.S. administration before launching the operation, which reportedly targeted mid-level Hamas commanders, senior officials, and the group’s infrastructure.
“Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war,” White House spokesperson Brian Hughes said.
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