Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that the bombardment of Gaza will continue as over a dozen Palestinians were killed on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, shattering an already fragile ceasefire.
Netanyahu said the airstrikes, which have killed well over 400 Palestinians since they started at 2 am on Tuesday, were “just the beginning” and claimed that violating the ceasefire was “decided after Hamas rejected all proposals, and therefore, from that moment on, negotiations will be conducted under fire”.
At least 14 Palestinians were killed overnight in Israeli bombing that targeted Khan Younis, Nusierat, Rafah, and other areas of the enclave.
Israel has hit new areas of Gaza on Wednesday, with jets dropping leaflets on parts of the north, instructing people to evacuate.
Hamas has maintained they are committed to the ceasefire deal, and were pushing for the second phase of the truce to be implemented. Israel has pressed for the first phase to be extended, leading to a stalemate in negotiations.
Hamas spokesperson Abdul Latif al-Qanou said the group is still committed to seeing the full terms of the ceasefire being implemented, but “Netanyahu’s personal interests and his escape from his crises [corruption trial] have undermined the agreement”.
Speaking to The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Al-Qanou said that mediators are aware of Hamas’ commitment to the terms of the deal despite Netanyahu’s actions.
Egypt also presented a new proposal for a ceasefire on Tuesday, which sets to “bridge” differences and offers a middle ground regarding Hamas’ demands, which called for the release of an American-Israeli soldier from captivity and the bodies of five other captives, with a move into the second phase of the deal, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.
However, another Hamas official, Taher al-Nunu, insisted that Hamas had not closed the door to negotiations and there is no need for a new agreement, given that a truce was already in place.
“Hamas calls on mediators and the international community to compel the occupation to stop the aggression, implement the ceasefire agreement, and begin the second phase of the truce that started in January,” he continued.
Meanwhile, anger is mounting in Israel against Netanyahu, with opposition leader Yair Lapid calling for a rally against him, after blaming him for having “no red lines”.
“I’m calling on all of you, this is our moment, this is our future, this is our country. Take to the streets,” Lapid wrote in a post on X.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the recent escalation, calling the attacks an “intolerable level of suffering for the Palestinian people”.
UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, said that Gaza’s healthcare system is on the verge of collapse due to the ongoing bombardment.
This comes just one week after health officials in Gaza raised alarm over a lack of medicine and oxygen supplies in hospitals, which is putting patients’ lives at risk.
Attacks in the West Bank
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces stormed several towns, including Dura, near Hebron, where two Palestinians were shot at, and one man beaten.
Israeli troops also set fire to Palestinian homes in the Jenin refugee camp, according to the official Palestinian Wafa news agency.
The attack comes on the 57th day of Israel’s incursion on the area, which has displaced tens of thousands of people and killed hundreds.
