New Delhi: In the heaviest assault in two months, Israeli airstrikes pounded Gaza in the early hours of Tuesday.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which came into effect on January 19, was on the verge of collapse as the latter claimed its head of government was killed.
Palestinian health authorities claimed that around 400 people died in the attacks as Israel vowed to use force to free its remaining hostages in Gaza strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the military to take “strong action” against Hamas in Gaza following the Palestinian militant group’s refusal to release hostages held there.
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
The sudden overnight strikes targeted multiple locations in Gaza. According Gaza’s Hamas-run Health ministry, many of the dead were children.
Israel informed US before Gaza airstrikes
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Israel had notified the Donald Trump administration before launching “extensive strikes” in Gaza.
“The Trump administration and the White House were consulted by the Israelis on their attacks in Gaza tonight – and as President Trump has made it clear, Hamas, the Houthis, all those who seek to terrorise not just Israel but also the United States of America, will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,” Leavitt told Fox News.
Hamas accused Israel of overturning the ceasefire deal agreed, leaving the fate of 59 hostages still held in Gaza uncertain.