In what seemed to be the first significant assault on the region since Israel’s cease-fire with Hamas started around two months ago, Israeli forces unleashed a massive onslaught throughout the Gaza Strip early Tuesday.
The Israeli Defense Forces and the Israeli Security Agency were “conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip,” the military declared on Telegram shortly before 2:30 a.m. local time. It claimed that Israel’s political leadership had authorized the strike.
The Israeli government has “resumed their aggression” in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement released shortly after by Hamas. The attacks may or may not have put an end to the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which went into force in mid-January.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that he and Israel Katz, the defense minister, had ordered the military to take action, citing Hamas’ “repeated refusal” “to release our hostages.” The militants had rejected all offers from U.S. envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and other mediators.
The following phases in the cease-fire agreement, which would include a permanent end to the war, have been negotiated by mediators such as the United States, Qatar, and Egypt. However, considering the long-standing differences between the two sides, they haven’t made much progress. Shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, Israel launched a strike on Gaza.
The Israeli military has carried out a series of smaller raids on Gaza after the cease-fire went into force, which Hamas says have killed over 150 Palestinians, at least some of whom were civilians. It has charged Israel with routinely carrying out military operations in violation of the peace accord.
