Israel conducts widespread airstrikes against Gaza, Palestine reports more than 235 dead

At least 254 died as Israel unleashed a barrage of airstrikes throughout Gaza in the early hours of Tuesday, breaking a tentative truce that had endured since January. The strikes, which targeted several areas, including Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah, represented the heaviest Israeli bombardment since the truce went into effect. Palestinian health officials said that most of the dead were children, as strikes landed in neighborhoods where thousands are still displaced.

As the strikes went down, a White House official confirmed that Israel had informed the Trump administration prior to launching the attacks. Addressing Fox News’ “Hannity” program, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “The Trump administration and the White House were consulted by the Israelis on their attacks in Gaza tonight.”

She also said that President Donald Trump had threatened Hamas and other organizations, including Iran-aligned Houthis, that they would “see a price to pay” for committing acts of terrorism.

The attacks follow weeks of unsuccessful talks between Israel and Hamas regarding the future of the remaining 59 hostages still being held in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office blamed Hamas for “persistent refusal to free our hostages” despite Egypt and Qatar-led mediation efforts supported by the US.

A Hamas official, in turn, attributed blame to Israel for unilaterally reversing the ceasefire and threatened that the situation could further get out of hand.

Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of breaking the ceasefire, saying he was intentionally putting hostages at risk by restarting military action.

“Netanyahu’s move to resume the war is a decision to sacrifice the prisoners of the occupation and in effect sentence them to death,” a Hamas official said in a statement, accusing the Israeli leader of employing the conflict as a political “lifeline” to distract from internal problems.

The group issued a statement in a second statement warning that the truce being violated “leaves the prisoners in Gaza to an unpredictable and perilous fate”.

The truce had originally been arranged on January 19 and saw 33 Israeli and five Thai hostages released for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

But tensions rose as Israel charged Hamas with procrastination and refused to allow deliveries of aid to Gaza as a pressure measure. Hamas, meanwhile, demanded that any deal be accompanied by a final end to the war and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza-terms Israel was not prepared to agree to.

Tuesday’s attack focused on what the Israeli military called mid-level Hamas commanders and facilities. But Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses said there was widespread damage to civilian structures, such as a Gaza City building and houses in Deir al-Balah.

The extent of the destruction is still emerging, but the Palestinian Health Ministry cautioned that Gaza’s already battered medical system was struggling to cope with the casualties.

The newest escalation comes after 15 months of conflict that started on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants raided Israeli border cities, killing approximately 1,200 individuals and taking 251 hostages, said Israeli officials. In turn, Israel initiated an unremitting military assault that has claimed the lives of over 48,000 Palestinians, said Gaza health officials, destroying much of the enclave’s infrastructure and displacing almost its entire 2.3 million inhabitants.