Palestinian Hamas group has accused Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “sacrificing” its hostages after fresh strikes jolted Gaza this morning, raising questions over future ceasefires to bring back the Israeli citizens still held captive.
Israel resumed massive strikes on Gaza this morning, shattering a period of calm negotiated during a January truce, which has been branded as a “death sentence” for the hostages by a Hamas official.
“Netanyahu’s decision to resume war is a decision to sacrifice the occupation’s prisoners and impose a death sentence on them,” said Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq, accusing the Prime Minister of using the conflict as a political “lifeboat” to distract from internal crises.
Israeli forces announced “extensive attacks” on Hamas targets this morning and ordered all schools to stay shut in Gaza. The White House later confirmed that the US was consulted before the attacks during the fasting month of Ramzan.
The strikes left at least 330 dead, including women, children, and the elderly, said Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. Besides, dozens are in critical condition.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said the strikes followed “Hamas’s repeated refusal to release (Israeli) hostages as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators.”
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” it declared.
Hamas said the attacks reflected Netanyahu’s decision to “overturn the ceasefire agreement”, exposing the hostages in Gaza to an “unknown fate.” It said it would hold the Prime Minister responsible for any repercussions of the attacks on Gaza.
The attacks cast aspersions on the ceasefire talks between the two sides to end the year-long conflict sparked by a Hamas attack on Israeli towns in October 2023. At least 59 hostages now remain in Hamas captivity after several were freed in exchange for political prisoners in the past two months.
The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire was mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US. It was enforced in January and ended in early March, during which both sides refrained from escalating the violence.
A fresh swap offer has come from US’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, under which five Israeli hostages could be released in exchange for a “substantial” number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.