At least 330 people killed in overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza Strip
At least 330 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip overnight, according to a report from the Hamas-run Health ministry. There are hundreds of wounded, dozens of whom are in a critical condition, the ministry reports.
The majority of those killed are Palestinian women, children and seniors, AFP reports. Sources within Hamas say that Mahmoud Abu Watfa, the head of the Interior ministry for the Gaza Strip, was also killed.
The Israeli army and the Internal Security Agency carried out “extensive attacks” on Hamas “terrorist targets” in the early hours of Tuesday morning, they reported on the Telegram messaging service. These are the largest attacks since the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel came into effect on 19 January.
Evacuation orders
Strikes are still taking place, the BBC reports, and the Israel Defence Forces have issued new evacuation orders, suggesting they will continue. People are being told to move to shelters in western Gaza City and Khan Younis “immediately”, an IDF spokesperson said on X.
A ceasefire agreement came into force on 19 January, after 15 months of war triggered by the attack on 7 October 2023 by the Palestinian Hamas movement on Israel. During the first phase of the agreement, which expired on 1 March, Hamas returned 33 Israeli hostages, including eight who had died in captivity, and Israel released around 1,800 Palestinian detainees.
The second phase provides for a permanent ceasefire, the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the reopening of the crossing points for aid and the release of the remaining hostages.
"From now on, Israel will act with increasing military force against Hamas"
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Tuesday's attacks followed Hamas’ “repeated refusal to release our hostages as well as the refusal of all proposals from American presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and the mediators” in negotiations on extending the ceasefire. “From now on, Israel will act with increasing military force against Hamas,” he said on X.
“Israeli prime minister Netanyahu and his extremist government have decided to torpedo the ceasefire agreement, exposing the hostages in the Gaza Strip to an uncertain fate,” Hamas spokesperson Izzat al-Rishq said.
The Houthi rebels of Yemen, supported by Iran, have denounced the strikes and promised to continue the escalation of the conflict, having recently threatened to attack Israeli ships in the Red Sea.
In a post on X, Belgian Foreign minister Maxime Prévot called the blocking of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians “a serious violation of international law”.
“The agreement between Israel and Hamas is clear: it provides for a ceasefire and the release of hostages," he said. "I denounce the new Israeli strikes and their heavy human toll, which threatens these objectives."
Residents look at the remains of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip following strikes by Israel in which at least 330 people were killed, 18 March 2025 © PHOTO EYAD BABA / AFP
Related news
