Israeli strike against Gaza kills more than 400 people and collapses in ceasefire

Israeli forces launched a deadly air strike in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, ending a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, which began in January and raised the prospect of returning to the full war.

The Gaza Ministry of Health said more than 400 people, including children, were killed. These figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but the ruthless Israeli bombing produced one of the deadliest single-day tolls for the war.

The attacks came after weeks of fruitless negotiations aimed at expanding a fragile ceasefire that paused a devastating battle for 15 months. The first phase of the truce expired in early March, but it was largely considered as diplomats’ commitment to extend to free the surviving Israeli hostages and end the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he ordered military operations that attacked Israel and the dead hostage bodies after Hamas “repeatedly refused” to release the remaining prisoners captured on October 7, 2023. Of the remaining 59 in Gaza, less than half are believed to be alive.

In his speech late Tuesday, Mr. Netanyahu suggested that more Israeli attacks in Gaza are coming and negotiations will be held with Hamas.

“This is just the beginning,” he said. “We will continue to fight to achieve all the goals of the war.”

Hamas officials argued that Israel boldly overturned the truce but did not immediately respond to the strike. It is unclear whether the Palestinian armed groups (after more than a year of war) have been severely weakened – to fight back or return to the negotiating table.

Suhail Al-Hindi, a member of the Hamas Political Office, said the group still wants to resume the ceasefire, but reserves the right to respond. “How to deal with people on the ground,” he said in a telephone interview. “They know and understand how to deal with careers.”

Israeli Foreign Secretary Gideon Saar said the strike decision was made a few days ago after Hamas rejected two proposals from Trump’s Middle East President Steve Witkoff.

“This is not a one-day action,” Thal said in a speech in Jerusalem on Tuesday. “We will take military action in the days to come. We find ourselves at a dead end, without the release of hostages and no military action. This situation cannot continue.”

In Israel, relatives of the hostages said the new Israeli attacks exacerbated their fear that the rest of the captives might never be alive. They accused Mr. Netanyahu and his government of abandoning the hostages, and some gathered at the rally to demand an immediate agreement with Hamas to ensure their freedom.

“Military operations endanger the lives of hostages and directly harm the hostages,” Alexander Troufanov, a hostage released during the recent armistice, told a group in Tel Aviv. “But this morning, I was shocked to find that the decision makers chose not to listen.”

He added that the hostages in Gaza were “who are going through hell because of their decision to return to the battle.”

The Trump administration has been seeking to establish a deal between Israel and Hamas – which appears to support Israel's decision to resume widespread attacks in Gaza. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Israel had consulted with the United States before launching the attack.

Brian Hughes, spokesman for the Washington National Security Council, blamed Hamas on Israel's reattack.

Israeli air strikes in Gaza began slightly before 2:30 a.m. local time. Their cruelty reminds people of the earliest times of war, when Israel launched a major attack in the enclave. Images of the territory show people using flashlights to search for the rubble of flat buildings, bodies lined up in bags, and upset families fled their belongings.

Ramez Souri, a resident of Gaza, the northern enclave, said he had awakened the explosion, followed by an ambulance sprint.

“All Gaza is shaking,” Mr. Surry said.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 48,000 Gaza people have been killed and millions have been displaced since the war began.

Palestinian Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Chibi said that during the ceasefire, many Gaza people returned to disastrous communities. He said they sheltered together in the remaining houses.

“There is an entire family buried under the rubble,” Mr Basal said.

UNICEF said 130 of the people killed were the largest single-day child death toll in Gaza in the past year. UNICEF said air strikes hit the shelter where they sleep with their families.

Suzanne Abu Daqqa, who lives in Abasan, a southern suburb, described a sudden explosion in the middle of the night. She said she hurriedly checked the news like her family.

Ms. Abu Daqqa said: “Then we saw that it was not only around us – all over Gaza.”

Some of the bombs hit Abasan, she said. On Tuesday morning, Israeli troops called on residents of the area to evacuate, calling it a “dangerous combat zone.”

Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said the target of the bombing was “Hamas military commander, officials of Hamas leadership and terrorist infrastructure.”

Hamas said two senior officials of the group were killed as members of its Politburo. Others hold senior security positions, including Hamas fear of internal security director. Another militant group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also said that a spokesperson for its military force had been killed.

Before the air strikes began, Israel and Hamas had been trying to reach a deal in the second phase of the truce. In the first phase, Hamas released more than 30 hostages and eight bodies in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

In the second phase, Israeli forces will completely evacuate Gaza, and Hamas will release the surviving hostages captured in the 2023 attack. In the 2023 attack, militants killed about 1,200 people, kidnapped 251 people, and ignited the battle.

The two sides were unable to reach a consensus on the second phase of the ceasefire. Israel is still vowing to destroy Hamas and insist on demilitarization of Gaza. Hamas largely refused to disband its armed battalion.

Mr. Netanyahu's critics argue that the Prime Minister avoided a viable agreement with Hamas to end the war and released more hostages to safeguard his political alliance, including far-right supporters of long-time Israeli rule in Gaza.

Itamar Ben-Gvir announced on Tuesday that his far-right Jewish Power Party will rejoin Mr. Netanyahu's government in support of the newer offensive. In January, Mr. Ben Giver left protests with Hamas ceasefire. Once approved, his party MPs will strengthen Mr. Netanyahu's weakness in parliament.

Daniel B., former U.S. ambassador to Israel.

Israel killed thousands of Hamas fighters and destroyed many of its tunnel networks that have been used to store weapons. Hamas' ability to launch rockets in Israel has also been undermined.

Israel's Foreign Minister Mr. Sar suggested that if Hamas makes important concessions to the future of Gaza, Israel will return to the negotiating table.

“It would be great if we could achieve the same goal differently,” he said. “But if it is impossible to move forward this way, military operations can be resumed.”

Hamas officials vowed that it would not happen.

“War and destruction will not bring everything they have failed to get through negotiations,” said Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq.

Reported by Adam Rasgon,,,,, Ephrat Livni,,,,, Eric Schimitt,,,,, Julian E. Barnes,,,,, hiba yazbek and Johnatan Reiss.