Gaza— Israel has resumed its war of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza killing over 308 people in a few hours and injuring scores more including women and children. The air attacks on Gaza that started on Tuesday morning at around 02:30 local time (00:20 GMT).
By committing this new massacre, Israel is unilaterally ending a ceasefire agreement with Hamas brokered in part by the current United States President Donald Trump and began on 19 January.
The White House confirmed that President Trump was consulted ahead of the Israeli attack.
The Israeli attacks hit dense urban areas, makeshift schools, residential buildings, and areas sheltering displaced people in tents, according to Aljazeera. Israel has blocked the entry of all aid and goods to Gaza Strip for more than two weeks.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said the attack was in response to Hamas’s “repeated refusal” to release remaining captives in Gaza and its failure to agree on ceasefire proposals from US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and other mediators. Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement by imposing the blockade and not resuming negotiations about the second phase of the ceasefire.
Over the weekend, US envoy Steve Witkoff warned that Hamas must release living hostages immediately “or pay a severe price.” Witkoff, however, did not address the violations of the ceasefire agreement by Israel or its blockade of the Strip in order to further facilitate the continuation of the ceasefire.
Israeli political analyst Ori Goldberg said the mood has changed and few in Israel believe Prime Minister Netanyahu’s claim that the resumption of attacks on Gaza will help free the captives. “The situation has changed,” Goldberg told Al Jazeera.
“Which means that very few Israelis are buying Netanyahu’s claims that these renewed bombings are applying pressure that will ultimately achieve the war’s goal and bring about the release of the hostages,” he added as quoted by Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Maariv newspaper has reported Tuesday morning that the prosecution has agreed to a request to cancel the Israeli prime minister’s testimony in a corruption trial against him, due to “security developments”.
A Palestinian in Gaza told Aljazeera TV “we woke up to the devastating sounds of multiple explosions as a series of air attacks targeted various areas across the Gaza Strip, from north to south, including Jabalia, Gaza City, Nuseirat, Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis.”
Residents are enduring increasingly dire conditions as essential supplies – including food, cooking gas, and fuel – dwindle. Meanwhile, the water crisis has worsened, with desalination plants shutting down due to the ongoing fuel shortage.
Taher Nunu, a Hamas official, criticized the Israeli attacks. “The international community faces a moral test: either it allows the return of the crimes committed by the occupation army or it enforces a commitment to ending the aggression and war against innocent people in Gaza,” he said as quoted by AP.
“The return to fighting could also worsen deep internal fissures inside Israel over the fate of the remaining hostages. Many of the hostages released by Hamas returned emaciated and malnourished and described harsh conditions in captivity, putting heavy pressure on the government to extend the ceasefire,” AP reported.
“The released hostages have repeatedly implored the government to press ahead with the ceasefire to return all remaining hostages, and tens of thousands of Israelis have taken part in mass demonstrations in recent weeks calling for a ceasefire and return of all hostages,” it added.
Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, says Israel is sacrificing the lives of its remaining captives in Palestine.
“Netanyahu’s decision to return to war is a decision to sacrifice the prisoners of the occupation and a death sentence against them,” al-Risheq said in a statement shared by CNN. “The enemy will not achieve through war and destruction what it has failed to achieve through negotiations,” he added.
