Israeli air strikes in Gaza have killed at least 200 people, Palestinian health authorities say, as attacks hit dozens of targets, ending a weeks-long stand-off over extending the ceasefire that halted fighting in January.
Strikes were reported early on Tuesday across the enclave, from northern Gaza and Gaza City down to Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah in central and southern Gaza.
Palestinian health ministry officials said many of the dead were children.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in talks to extend the ceasefire.
Israeli officials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand, while the White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel's actions.
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Netanyahu’s office said.
The attacks were far wider in scale than the regular series of drone strikes the Israeli military has said it has conducted against individuals or small groups of suspected militants and follows weeks of failed efforts to agree an extension to the truce agreed on January 19.
Authorities also reported separately that 16 members of one family in Rafah, in southern Gaza had been killed.
The Gaza health ministry said the death toll was at least 200.
Hamas accused Israel over breaching the ceasefire agreement, leaving the fate of 59 hostages still held in Gaza uncertain.
Netanyahu's office accused Hamas of "repeated refusal to release our hostages" and rejecting proposals from US President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.
In Washington, a White House spokesperson said Israel had consulted the US administration before it carried out the strikes, which the military said targeted mid-level Hamas commanders and leadership officials as well as infrastructure belonging to the militant group.
Negotiating teams from Israel and Hamas had been in Doha as mediators from Egypt and Qatar sought to bridge the gap between the two sides following the end of an initial phase in the ceasefire, in which 33 Israeli hostages and five Thais were returned by militant groups in Gaza in exchange for some 2000 Palestinian prisoners.
With the backing of the United States, Israel had been pressing for the return of the remaining 59 hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for a longer-term truce that would have halted fighting until after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover holiday in April.
However, Hamas had been insisting on moving to negotiations for a permanent end to the war and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, in accordance with the terms of the original ceasefire agreement.
"We demand that the mediators hold Netanyahu and the Zionist occupation fully responsible for violating and overturning the agreement," the group said.
Each side has accused the other of failing to respect the terms of the January ceasefire agreement, and there were multiple hiccups during the course of the first phase, but until now, a full return to the fighting had been avoided.
Among those killed was senior Hamas official Mohammad Al-Jmasi, a member of the political office, and members of his family, including his grandchildren who were in his house in Gaza City when it was hit by an air strike, Hamas sources and relatives said.
In all, at least five senior Hamas officials were killed along with members of their families.
Much of Gaza lies in ruins after 15 months of fighting, which erupted on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip, killing some 1200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and abducting 251 hostages into Gaza.
The Israeli campaign in response has killed more than 48,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
with AP
