Gaza Truce Shatters As Israel Kills Hundreds, Orders Forced Displacement
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – At least 326 Palestinians have been killed as the Israeli regime launched a massive assault on Gaza, shattering the fragile two-month-old ceasefire with Hamas.
Tuesday’s attack took place across Gaza, including in Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza, Gaza City in the north, and central areas like Deir el-Balah.
Many of those killed in the attacks were children, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said.
Palestinian Health Ministry said that “326 martyrs arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals so far”, adding that “a number of victims are still under the rubble”.
Hamas, which governs Gaza, said it viewed Israel’s attacks as a unilateral cancellation of the ceasefire that began on January 19, Al Jazeera reported.
“Netanyahu and his extremist government are making a decision to overturn the ceasefire agreement, exposing prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate,” Hamas said in a statement. It called on people in Arab and Islamic nations, along with the “free people of the world”, to take to the streets to protest the assault.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) armed group accused Israel of “deliberately sabotaging all efforts to reach a ceasefire”.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the military to take “strong action” against Hamas over its refusal to release captives taken from Israel or agree to offers to extend the ceasefire.
Al Jazeera’s reporter said the strikes were concentrated on heavily built-up neighborhoods, makeshift schools and residential buildings where people have been sheltering.
The Government Media Office in Gaza said, “These brutal massacres committed by the Israeli occupation army reaffirm that this occupation only understands the language of killing, destruction, and genocide.
Negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire deal, which would see the release of nearly 60 remaining captives and the establishment of a permanent ceasefire, have been at an impasse over Israel’s insistence that the first stage be extended until mid-April.
Hamas has released about three dozen captives in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners since the start of the ceasefire.
While Israel did not explicitly declare an end to the ceasefire, senior officials indicated that the assault on Gaza would continue.
Israel’s 18-month war on Gaza has levelled much of the enclave, reducing homes, hospitals and schools to rubble.
Israeli forces have so far killed more than 48,000 people in the territory, according to Palestinian health authorities.
