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Israel launched “in-depth strikes” in Gaza, claiming that he had targets from Hamas in what seemed to be the most intense assault on the enclave since a cease-fire entered into force in January.
The office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an article on X, said that the country’s army had launched the attacks after the “repeated refusal of the Palestinian militant group to release our hostages” and the “rejection of all the proposals it has received from the American president Steve Witkoff and the mediators”.
“Israel will now act against Hamas with increasing military force,” said Netanyahu’s office.
The Ministry of Health managed by Hamas in Gaza said that 131 people had been killed in Israeli air strikes overnight.
Israeli attacks have occurred in the midst of a renewed thrust in the region’s tensions, including US military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen ordered by President Donald Trump in recent days.
The Trump administration said it was consulted by Israel before the Gaza strikes.
“As President Trump said, Hamas, Houthis, Iran, all those who seek to terrorize not only Israel but also the United States of America will see a price to pay,” the white house press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
The first stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which involved the return of Israeli hostages to Gaza in exchange for the liberation of Israel from Palestinian prisoners, ended on March 1.
International mediators, including the United States, tried to extend the truce and guarantee the release of the remaining hostages held by the militant group.
“Hamas could have released hostages to prolong the ceasefire, but rather chose refusal and war,” said Brian Hughes, spokesperson for the US National Security Council.
Witkoff, the Middle East envoy of Trump, told CBS on Sunday that “the recent experience we had with Hamas’ response was not encouraging”.
He added: “We put a very sensitive proposal on the table which was intended for a bridge to go to a final discussion and a final resolution which would have incorporated a kind of demilitarization of Hamas.”
On March 2, Israel interrupted all assistance to Gaza and threatened to cut the supply of water and electricity from the territory.
Trump warned Hamas at the beginning of the month that “it’s over for you” unless the group publishes the remaining hostages, adding that he “sent Israel everything he needs to finish work”.
“Not a single member of Hamas will be safe,” wrote Trump on his social platform Truth. “It’s your latest warning!” He added. “Release the hostages now, or there will be hell to pay later!”.
Israel returned to the negotiating table last week, sending a team to Doha for the first talks since Trump took office after Washington and Hamas. Discussions are publicized by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
The military action of Israel also intervened after Netanyahu withdrew Ronen Bar, the head of the national intelligence agency of Israel Shin Bet, and David Barnea, director of the foreign spy agency Mossad, of the negotiation team of his country.
The Prime Minister said that the intelligence leaders, who had helped negotiate the ceasefire with officials from Biden and Trump administrations, including Witkoff, negotiated too slowly.
On the presidential path of the campaign last year, Trump promised American voters that he would bring peace to the Middle East.
Oil prices were stable on Tuesday during Asian negotiations, with Brent Crude Futures, the international index, increasing by 0.3% to $ 71.26 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate, the American reference index, increased by 0.3% to $ 67.78 per barrel.
Additional reports from Felicia Schwartz to Washington and William Sandlund in Hong Kong
