Gaza – Israeli airstrikes killed at least 330 people in Gaza on Tuesday in the largest attack on the enclave since a ceasefire began in January, as truce negotiations stalled over Hamas’s refusal to release hostages.
Gaza’s civil defense agency said the strikes, carried out during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, killed mostly children, women, and the elderly. About 150 others were wounded. Explosions were reported across northern and southern Gaza, including Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah. Among those killed was Mahmud Abu Watfa, the head of Hamas’s police and internal security forces in Gaza, according to Palestinian sources.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the airstrikes targeted Hamas positions in accordance with directives from Israel’s political leadership. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the operation was ordered after Hamas repeatedly refused to release hostages and rejected mediation efforts by U.S. and regional envoys.
“The IDF is attacking Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip to achieve the war’s objectives, including securing the release of our hostages,” the Israeli military posted on X. Israel also ordered schools near the Gaza border to close due to security concerns.
Hamas condemned the attack, accusing Netanyahu of using military action as a “lifeline” to divert attention from internal crises. “Netanyahu’s decision to resume war is a decision to sacrifice the occupation’s prisoners and impose a death sentence on them,” a Hamas official said. In a separate statement, Hamas blamed Israel for violating the ceasefire agreement and warned that the hostages held in Gaza faced an “unknown fate.”
The attack came as negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a truce extension collapsed. Israel had sought to prolong the first phase of the ceasefire until mid-April, insisting that any transition to the next phase must include Hamas’s disarmament and removal from power.
Hamas refused, saying it would only release additional hostages under the second phase of the deal, which was set to begin on March 2. The group had offered to free Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander and the bodies of four hostages if Israel immediately proceeded to phase two of the agreement. Israel rejected the demand, accusing Hamas of “psychological warfare.”
Under the initial phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 33 Israeli hostages and five Thai nationals in exchange for around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners. However, the group still holds about 59 hostages.
The latest escalation adds to the devastation from the war, which began when Hamas launched a cross-border assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capturing 251 hostages. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians and injured over 112,000, according to health officials in Gaza.
