Image Source: France24
Occupied Gaza Strip – Over 200 people, including many women and children, were killed in the Gaza Strip following a wave of Israeli airstrikes early on Tuesday morning. According to reports, the death toll has continued to rise since the overnight assault, which began on the 18th day of the holy month of Ramadan.
The overnight bombardment targeted multiple locations across the enclave, shattering a fragile ceasefire that had been in place for just two months. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared, “Tonight we return to fighting in Gaza,” vowing to escalate military operations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in a post on X that he and the defence minister had instructed the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to take decisive action against Hamas.
This decision, according to him, followed Hamas’s refusal to release Israeli hostages and its rejection of all proposals put forth by the United States presidential envoy and other mediators.
“The IDF is, at this time, attacking targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip in order to achieve the objectives of the war as they have been determined by the political echelon, including the release of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased,” Netanyahu stated.
Israeli officials have vowed to intensify attacks on Hamas with “increasing military strength” should their demands remain unmet.
Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams had been engaged in talks in Doha, with Egypt and Qatar mediating efforts to narrow the divide between both sides. As part of the initial ceasefire agreement, Hamas had released 33 Israeli hostages and five Thai nationals in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Reports indicate that with the backing of the US, Israel had been pushing for a temporary truce in exchange for the return of 59 remaining hostages. Still, Hamas insisted on a permanent ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal, in line with previous agreements.
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In response to the attacks, Hamas, in a statement, accused Netanyahu’s extremist government of deliberately overturning the agreement and endangering the remaining Israeli hostages.
“Netanyahu and his extremist government have decided to overturn the ceasefire agreement, exposing the [Israeli] prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate,” the resistance group stated.
Moreover, Hamas called on the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the United Nations to hold Israel accountable and enforce Resolution 2735, which demands an end to hostilities.
“We demand that the mediators hold Netanyahu and the Zionist occupation fully responsible for violating and overturning the agreement.”
