Global outrage as hundreds killed in Gaza Ramadan massacre

Israel has renewed its attacks on Gaza, launching an intense barrage of airstrikes on Tuesday morning that has killed 413 Palestinians, a figure that is likely to rise, with hospitals across the Gaza Strip overwhelmed with casualties. 

The harrowing Israeli assault come after weeks of stalled talks between Hamas and Israel over an extension of the ceasefire, as well as the Israel’s resumption of an aid blockade and the cutting off of electricity in Gaza.

Palestinian reaction

Hamas officials have made several statements since the start of the latest offensive.

“We hold the criminal Netanyahu and the Nazi Zionist occupation fully responsible for the repercussions of the treacherous aggression on Gaza, and on the defenceless civilians and our besieged Palestinian people, who are being subjected to a brutal war and a systematic policy of starvation,” the group said in one statement, according to Al-Jazeera.

Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq said, “Netanyahu’s decision to resume war is a decision to sacrifice the occupation’s prisoners and impose a death sentence on them”.

Likewise, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza, accused Israel of “carrying out further massacres as part of the war of extermination in front of the eyes of the entire world, and deliberately sabotaging all efforts to reach a ceasefire”, according to Haaretz.

The Palestinian Authority foreign ministry, based in the occupied West Bank, issued a statement on X urging the international community to “stop the crime of genocide and the displacement of our people in Gaza” and to “enforce an immediate ceasefire”.

“The ministry affirms that political solutions are the gateway to achieving a ceasefire, halting aggression, and restoring the political horizon for resolving this conflict,” the ministry added.

Israeli far right welcome the strikes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office claimed that Hamas “repeatedly refused to release our hostages and reject all offers it received from the US presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from the mediators”.

Israel’s far-right have welcomed the onslaught, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich saying on X that this has been planned since Israel’s new military chief took office, and that “we are more determined than ever to complete the task and destroy Hamas”.

Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, who resigned from the cabinet to protest the recent ceasefire, also welcomed the fighting, saying the decision “is the right, moral, ethical and most justified step in order to destroy the terrorist organisation Hamas and return our hostages”.

Settler groups also applauded the bombing, which have killed scores of children, with the Nachala organisation saying that “from here on, the path to decisive victory is clear and unambiguous – occupation, expulsion, settlement”, and that “the time has come for a full Jewish return to the Gaza Strip”.

However, opposition politicians have slammed the decision, particularly as it could risk the lives of Israeli captives held in Gaza. The Democrats leader Yair Golan called for protests and accused Netanyahu of “using the lives of our citizens and soldiers because he fears the public protest against the dismissal of the head of Shin Bet”, according to The Jerusalem Post.

MK Ofer Cassif, from the left-wing Hadash party, said on X the ceasefire was “shattered on purpose by Netanyahu and his cronies”.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement warning that “the greatest fear of the families, the hostages and the citizens of Israel has come true – the Israeli government has chosen to give up on the hostages”. They also called on Israelis in Jerusalem to protest the decision.

US says it coordinated with Israel

The US said it had foreknowledge of the Israeli strikes, and had coordinated with Tel Aviv before the brutal strikes took place. There was outrage from other countries however.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News’ Hannity programme that the Trump administration had been “consulted by the Israelis on their attacks on Gaza tonight”, and doubled down on threats that “all hell will break loose” against those that “seek to terrorise” Israel and the US.

However Egypt, a key mediator between Hamas and Israel, called the strikes a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire, adding that the action threatens to “bring serious consequences for the stability of the region”.

Turkey condemned “the massacre of hundreds of Palestinians in Israel’s attacks on Gaza” and said that it “demonstrates that the Netanyahu government’s genocide policy has entered a new phase”.

Dimitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian government, said Moscow was concerned with “reports of major casualties among the civilian population”, and that it is monitoring the situation.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning called on all parties to “avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation of the situation, and prevent a larger-scale humanitarian disaster”.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels offered their support to Palestinians in Gaza, with Al Jazeera reporting that its Supreme Political Council pledged that “the Palestinian people will not be left alone in this battle, and Yemen will continue its support and assistance, and escalate confrontation steps.”

In Europe Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, wrote on X that his country “calls on all parties to respect the terms of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal”.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong issued a statement on X urging “all parties to respect the terms of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, and for it to be implemented in full”.

A UN spokesperson said that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “shocked by the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza” and “he strongly appeals for the ceasefire to be respected, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be re-established, and for the remaining hostages to be released unconditionally”.

A statement released by Islamic Relief Worldwide called on “international governments to utilize all their political and economic leverage – including immediately ending all arms sales and suspending trade agreements – to hold Israel accountable, enforce the phased ceasefire agreement, and ensure the entry of sufficient supplies into Gaza”.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Forum in Britain called for “massive protests” over the action, urging mediators to “intervene immediately and exert pressure on the occupying power to end the war and adhere to the agreed terms of de-escalation”.