Israel’s military said it is continuing its attacks on Gaza, following a series of deadly overnight airstrikes that killed more than 400 Palestinian people, including many women and children, and injured hundreds of others. At least four government officials were killed in the Israeli airstrikes, according to Gaza’s government media office. The airstrikes appear to have made the last 24 hours the deadliest for Palestinians in Gaza since the first months of the war in 2023.
Hamas said the US “bears full responsibility for the massacres” in Gaza, after the White House confirmed Israel had consulted the Trump administration before it carried out the overnight airstrikes.
The deadly Israeli attacks have violated the ceasefire agreement with Hamas that came into effect in late January.
Israel’s military ordered an evacuation of parts of eastern Gaza, hours after launching the strikes. The evacuation orders, which cover the northern town of Beit Hanoun and other communities further south, suggest that Israeli troops may launch renewed ground operations within hours.
Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar said fresh Israeli strikes that have killed hundreds of Palestinians were not a “one-day attack” and that the military operation in Gaza would continue in the coming days.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said “the gates of hell will open in Gaza” and that Hamas would be hit with a force it has “never seen before” if it did not release all remaining hostages it holds.
Egypt and Qatar, key mediators in the ceasefire deal, heavily condemned the Israeli assault along with many other foreign ministries around the world.
Hamas accused Israel of attacking “defenceless civilians” and urged mediators to hold the Netanyahu administration “fully responsible” for “violating and overturning” the ceasefire.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement ended two weeks ago but Israel is refusing to implement the scheduled second phase, which envisaged an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a definitive end to the war.
Former Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who left the government over disagreements about the ceasefire in Gaza, is rejoining the coalition, a joint party statement said hours after Israel’s deadly airstrikes.
Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, CEO of the charity Mercy Corps who have teams on the ground in Gaza, said: “Since early this morning, hundreds of people, most of them women and children, have been killed.
“Hospitals are overwhelmed, struggling with critical shortages of blood and even the most basic medical supplies like gauze and painkillers. Entire families have been wiped out. This renewed suffering after weeks of hope is unconscionable.
“Evacuation orders are forcing already displaced families to flee in desperation. More than 2 million people remain uprooted from their homes, facing yet another wave of displacement with nowhere safe to turn.
“Halted access for humanitarian aid and price increases have left people without sufficient food, water, or shelter, worsening an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
“The world cannot stand by while Gaza becomes a graveyard yet again. A sustained ceasefire is the only solution. All parties must immediately commit to ending this war, releasing all remaining hostages, and engaging in a meaningful process to ensure lasting peace and security for civilians on all sides.”
Benjamin Netanyahu defended the resumption of airstrikes in Gaza, saying that negotiations on restoring the ceasefire would continue “only under fire”.
In a briefing, Netanyahu said military pressure on Hamas was a “critical condition” for securing the release of the hostages held.
The United Arab Emirates has condemned the fresh Israeli strikes on Gaza and warned about the repercussions of military escalation, state news agency WAM reported.
Yemen’s Houthis said on Tuesday they would expand their range of targets in Israel in the next hours and days unless the “aggression” on Gaza stops.
The Iran-aligned group’s military spokesperson Yahya Sarea also confirmed they had targeted an air base in Israel with a ballistic missile.
Earlier, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen towards Israeli territory. Sirens had sounded in several areas of Israel.
The Houthi group has repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel in what it has described as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The UK’s foreign secretary has rowed back on his assertion that Israel had broken international law by blocking aid shipments to Gaza.
David Lammy said he “could have been clearer” with his remarks in the House of Commons, which had prompted questions about the UK government’s position on the matter.
Downing Street earlier said Israel was “at clear risk of breaching” its legal obligations rather than having already done so.
On Monday, Lammy was asked by Labour MP Rupa Huq what the consequences would be for the “provocative action” of blocking aid during the holy month of Ramadan.
He answered: “Well, my honourable friend is right. This is a breach of international law.
“Israel, quite rightly, must defend its own security, but we find the lack of aid – and it has now been 15 days since aid got into Gaza – unacceptable, hugely alarming and very worrying.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman was asked if Lammy’s statement represented the government’s position.
He said: “Our position remains that Israel’s actions in Gaza are at clear risk of breaching international humanitarian law.
“And we continue to call on the government of Israel to abide by its international obligations when it comes to humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza.”
On Tuesday, the foreign secretary told Bloomberg that he “could have been clearer” in the chamber, when asked if he regretted making the statement.
Protesters in Israel have accused Benjamin Netanyahu of ordering the airstrikes that shattered the ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday to provide “cover” for a campaign to dismantle Israel’s democratic system and to maintain his own grip on power.
Political tensions in Israel surged after the Israeli prime minister announced on Sunday that he would seek to fire the head of the Shin Bet internal security service, an unprecedented move that legal experts said may be unlawful.
“The reality is that this attack [in Gaza] is being used as a tool for political interests. The way [they] operate is to create this external threat and accuse those who raise their voices of being anti-democratic,” said Ora Peled Nakash, a former senior officer in Israel’s navy and an organiser of the protests.
Groups representing Israeli hostages currently or formerly held by Hamas in Gaza are also planning demonstrations this week, and issued statements calling for an immediate ceasefire deal.
Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brother Nadav Popplewell was killed in captivity in Gaza, said hostages still held by Hamas could be saved.
“They can still be brought home. And those who did not survive deserve to be returned and buried with dignity … We must return to the ceasefire and negotiations, and secure their release. A deal is the only way to bring them all back. Please, do not let other families suffer the same fate as mine,” Svatitzky said.
Turkey will ramp up diplomatic efforts to reinstate a ceasefire in Gaza and halt the killing of innocent people there, president Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.
“Turkey stands by the people of Gaza and our Palestinian brothers... We will continue to increase our diplomatic efforts to stop the massacres and to restore peace and a ceasefire,” Erdogan said in comments made at a fast-breaking meal with students of the National Defence University.
Civilian deaths from Israel’s latest air strikes on Gaza have been branded “appalling” by a UK foreign office minister.
Lord Collins of Highbury’s comments came after the surprise bombardment on Tuesday shattered a ceasefire that had been in place since January, threatening to fully reignite the 17-month-old war.
He told the House of Lords: “We do not want to see a return to fighting.
“The reported civilian casualties resulting from these strikes are appalling.
“Our priority is urging all parties to return urgently to dialogue and to ensuring the ceasefire agreement is implemented in full and becomes permanent.
“The fighting must stop, hostages must be released and civilians must be protected, including those who have returned home during the ceasefire.”
