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Palestinian Health Authorities say that Israel's strikes on Gaza have killed at least 200 people.

Palestinian health officials said that Israeli air strikes on Gaza had killed at least 200. The attacks, which began early Tuesday morning, hit dozens targets, ending the standoff of weeks over an extension to the ceasefire, which halted fighting back in January.

Multiple locations were affected, including Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Rafah (in the central and southern Gaza Strip), as well as northern Gaza and Gaza City. Palestinian officials from the Palestinian Health Ministry said that many of those killed were children.

Israeli troops, who claimed to have hit dozens targets, announced that they would continue the airstrikes for as long as needed and even go beyond them, raising the possibility of ground troops returning to the battlefield.

The Israeli military claimed that it had conducted a series of drone attacks against small groups or individuals of suspected militants. This attack was far more extensive than any of the previous strikes. It also followed weeks of unsuccessful attempts to extend the truce of January 19, which the Israeli military agreed to.

As casualties are brought into hospitals, bodies wrapped in white plastic sheets and smeared in blood can be seen being piled up.

Private cars brought others to overcrowded hospitals. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that its teams had dealt with 86 dead and 134 injured.

The war has caused extensive damage to the hospitals in Khan Yunis and Gaza City. Al-Aqsa Hospital, located in the Gaza Strip's central region, as well as Nasser Hospital, have reported that they received 85 deaths in total. Separately, authorities reported that 16 family members in Rafah in southern Gaza were killed.

Gaza's health ministry spokesperson said that the death toll is at least 200.

Hamas claimed that Israel had revoked the ceasefire agreement and left the fate of the 59 hostages who remain in Gaza in doubt.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas "of repeatedly refusing to release our hosts" and rejected proposals from U.S. president Donald Trump's Mideast Envoy Steve Witkoff.

In a press release, Israel said that it would act with greater military force against Hamas.

A White House spokesperson in Washington said that Israel consulted with the U.S. government before launching the attacks. The military claimed the strikes targeted Hamas leadership and mid-level commanders, as well as the infrastructure of the militant group.

Brian Hughes, spokesperson for the White House, said that "Hamas had the option to release hostages in order to extend a ceasefire. Instead they chose war and refusal."

Witnesses in Gaza told us that Israeli tanks shelled Rafah, a southern Gaza Strip area, forcing families to flee their homes after the ceasefire was declared and move north to Khan Younis.

STANDOFF

After the initial ceasefire phase, in which militant groups in Gaza released 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and returned five Thais in return in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, mediators from Egypt & Qatar were in Doha to try and bridge the gap.

Israel, with the support of the United States had been pushing for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. In exchange, Israel wanted a longer-term ceasefire that would have stopped the fighting until the end of Ramadan for Muslims and the Jewish Passover in April.

Hamas, however, had insisted on negotiations to bring an end to the conflict and to a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. This was done according to the original ceasefire agreement.

The group demanded that mediators hold Netanyahu, the Zionist occupation and all those responsible for the violation and overturning of the agreement fully accountable.

Both sides have accused each other of not respecting the terms of the ceasefire agreement signed in January, and the first phase was marked by a number of hiccups. The fighting has been avoided until now.

Israel blocked aid deliveries from Gaza and threatened to resume combat on several occasions if Hamas refused to agree to release the hostages that it still held.

The army has not provided details on the strikes that took place in the early morning hours of Tuesday, but Palestinian health officials and witnesses who were contacted reported damage to numerous areas in Gaza where hundreds of thousands of people live in makeshift shelters or in damaged buildings.

At least three houses in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza were also hit. According to witnesses and medics, the strikes also hit targets in Rafah and Khan Younis, two southern cities.

Hamas officials and relatives confirmed that among those killed were senior Hamas official Mohammad Al-Jmasi and his family members, including his granddaughters, who were at his home in Gaza City during the airstrike. At least five senior Hamas leaders and members of their family were all killed.

After 15 months of war, much of Gaza is now in ruins. The fighting began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israeli towns and villages around the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli statistics, 1,200 people were killed, while 251 hostages were taken into Gaza.

According to Palestinian health officials, the Israeli response has resulted in more than 48, 000 deaths and the destruction of much of the infrastructure and housing in the enclave. This includes the hospital system. (Reporting and writing by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Enas Ehab, with additional reporting from Jeff Mason in Washington. Editing and proofreading by Stephen Coates.)

(source: Reuters)