Israeli Airstrikes On Gaza Reportedly Kill Over 300 Palestinians Ending Two-Month Ceasefire
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed at least 326 Palestinians, marking the collapse of a two-month ceasefire with Hamas.
The attacks struck Khan Younis, Rafah, Gaza City, and Deir el-Balah, leaving many dead, including children, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, Al Jazeera reports.
The ministry reported, “326 martyrs arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals so far,” adding that “a number of victims are still under the rubble.”
The strikes have devastated residential areas, schools, and shelters, with many families unable to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones.
Hamas condemned the attack, accusing Israel of unilaterally cancelling the ceasefire that began on January 19. “Netanyahu and his extremist government are making a decision to overturn the ceasefire agreement, exposing prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate,” Hamas said.
The group urged protests across Arab and Islamic nations, calling on the “free people of the world” to rise against the assault.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also accused Israel of “deliberately sabotaging all efforts to reach a ceasefire.”
The Israeli government defended its actions, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating that the military was ordered to take “strong action” against Hamas due to its refusal to release captives or extend the ceasefire.
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Netanyahu’s office declared.
The Israeli military confirmed on Telegram that it was carrying out “extensive strikes on terror targets” linked to Hamas. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Israel had consulted with U.S. President Donald Trump before launching the assault.
Ahmed Abu Rizq, a Gaza teacher, described the chaos and fear among civilians. “We were frightened, our children were frightened. We had many calls from our relatives to check on ourselves.
And the ambulance started to run from one street to another,” he told Al Jazeera.
He recounted seeing families arrive at hospitals holding the “remains of their children” in their hands.
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said Israeli strikes targeted heavily populated areas, including makeshift schools and residential buildings.
“We understand that among those who were found as victims during the attack were newborn babies, children, women, and the elderly,” he reported. Several senior Hamas officials were also killed in the assault.
Gaza’s Government Media Office strongly condemned the attacks, stating: “These brutal massacres committed by the Israeli occupation army reaffirm that this occupation only understands the language of killing, destruction, and genocide.
They expose the true intentions of the occupation in shedding the blood of innocent people without the slightest moral or legal restraint.”
The breakdown of ceasefire negotiations has deepened the crisis. Hamas had previously released around three dozen captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, but talks over a permanent ceasefire stalled as Israel insisted on extending the first phase until mid-April.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that the “gates of hell” would open if the remaining captives were not freed. “We will not stop fighting until all of the hostages return home and all the war’s aims are achieved,” he stated.
Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Amman, Jordan, said Netanyahu’s refusal to engage in phase two of ceasefire negotiations had led to the resumption of hostilities.
“Several Israeli analysts, several within the political opposition, and several within Netanyahu’s own government said that this was the plan all along – a resumption of the fighting, to go back to full-scale war,” she reported.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has devastated the enclave, reducing homes, hospitals, and schools to rubble.
Palestinian health authorities report that over 48,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, with no signs of an end to the bloodshed.
