Israel-Gaza war: Netanyahu threatens to attack Hamas with ‘increasing military strength’ as mass strikes kill dozens – live
Key events
Israel has unilaterally ended ceasefire, Hamas officials says
A senior Hamas official has told Reuters that Israel is unilaterally ending the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
They said the move would expose Israeli hostages to an unknown fate.
Israel believes there are about two dozen living hostages in Gaza, including one Thai and one Nepali. It also believes there are about 35 dead hostages who remain in the territory.
Netanyahu threatens Hamas with ‘increasing military strength’ as children reported among dead
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he and defence minister Israel Katz have told the military to take “strong action” against Hamas in Gaza, even as reports from the territory said that children were among the dead.
In a post on X, Netanyahu’s office said:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have instructed the IDF to take strong action against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.
This follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators.
The IDF is, at this time, attacking targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip in order to achieve the objectives of the war as they have been determined by the political echelon including the release of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased.
Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength. The operational plan was presented by the IDF over the weekend and approved by the political leadership.
Israel has refused to stick to the terms of the ceasefire deal that it agreed with Hamas and has repeatedly violated it since it began at the end of January, killing more than 100 Palestinians and also blocking all aid for the past two weeks.
Opening summary
The White House has confirmed it was briefed in advance after Israel resumed what it said were “extensive strikes” on Gaza, reportedly killing dozens of Palestinian people.
The strikes are Israel’s heaviest assault on the territory since a ceasefire took effect in January.
The move came after Hamas refused to agree to its demands to extend phase one of the ceasefire agreement.
In Gaza, explosions could be heard at various locations and ambulances were arriving at Al Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza.
The Palestinian civil emergency service said Israel carried out at least 35 airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 30 people. In Gaza City, medics reported that at least eight Palestinians, including children, had been killed.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement cited by Israeli media that the attacks had “the goal of achieving the war objectives as determined by the political leadership, including the release of all our hostages – both the living and the fallen”.
“This follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages and its rejection of all the proposals it received from US president’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from the mediators,” the statement said.
Three houses were hit in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, a building in Gaza City, and targets in Khan Younis and Rafah, according to medics and witnesses.
The first phase of the ceasefire agreement ended two weeks ago but Israel has refused to implement the scheduled second phase, which is supposed to end with its withdrawal from Gaza, the freedom of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, and a definitive end to the conflict.
It has also blocked all aid to Gaza over the past two weeks, in violation of the ceasefire deal, in a bid to force Hamas to accept its demands. The move has been condemned by countries including the UK, France and Germany.
