Israel strikes Gaza, breaking ceasefire

Man carries child killed in March 18 Israeli airstrikes

(Image credit: Abdalhkem Abu Riash / Anadolu via Getty Images)

What happened

Israel Tuesday morning launched what it called "extensive strikes" on Hamas "terror targets" across Gaza, its first major attack on the Palestinian enclave since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government signed a ceasefire agreement with Hamas two months ago. Gaza's health ministry said at least 326 Palestinians were killed in the strikes.

Who said what

The attack was prompted by "Hamas' repeated refusal to release our hostages" and its "rejection of all the proposals" from U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and other mediators, Netanyahu's office said. "Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength." Hamas said Israel's decision to "overturn the ceasefire agreement" exposed the remaining hostages "to an unknown fate." Hamas still holds 59 Israeli hostages, 35 of whom are believed to be dead.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Israel had consulted the U.S. before launching the strikes. President Donald Trump "has made it clear" that "Hamas, the Houthis, Iran" and anyone else seeking to "terrorize" Israel or the U.S. "will see a price to pay: All hell will break loose," she said. Israel's Hostage Families Forum said in a statement that Netanyahu had "chosen to abandon the hostages" and its members were "shocked, angry and terrified by the deliberate dismantling of the process to return our loved ones from the terrible captivity of Hamas."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

What next?

Negotiations on ending the Gaza war have deadlocked, but it was "unclear whether the attack effectively ended the ceasefire," The New York Times said. Hamas "has not yet declared that it is resuming the war," the BBC said, "instead calling on mediators and the United Nations to intervene."

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.