Over 300 Palestinians have been killed in fresh Israeli strikes, ending the ceasefire [Getty]
A massive Israeli bombardment of Gaza has killed an Israeli captive and wounded at least two others, a senior Hamas leader told The New Arab’s Arabic language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
At least 326 Palestinians were killed and hundreds of others wounded in overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza as Hamas slams Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging a ceasefire deal.
The captive, who has not yet been identified, was killed after an Israeli jet targeted the site where they were held in Gaza.
The Hamas official explained that the group previously warned about that Israeli bombings were killing captives and reiterated that the remaining hostages cannot be freed without a negotiation process.
Palestinian health officials said the death toll is expected to rise, as many people are still trapped under the rubble.
The attacks, which started at around 2am local time, just before most of Gaza’s population was set to wake up for their pre-dawn Ramadan meal, known as suhoor.
Netanyahu ordered the strikes, claiming they were in response to Hamas’s unwillingness to extend the first phase of the deal.
Gaza’s government media office said “entire families” were wiped out with many “women, children and elderly” people killed.
The death toll includes a pregnant woman and her baby who were killed in central Gaza’s Nuseirat area.
The attacks came with no prior warning and targeted residential areas and makeshift schools where swathes of displaced people had taken shelter.
Corruption trial
The shock attack on Gaza also came on the same day Netanyahu was set to provide testimony in his corruption trial, forcing the court to annul the hearing, Israeli media reported.
In his request to cancel the hearing, Netanyahu wrote: “This morning at 11 am an urgent security consultation will take place that will include the prime minister, defence minister and heads of the IDF security.”
The ceasefire deal was supposed to transition to phase two on 2 March, which would have seen an indefinite end to attacks on the Strip.
However, Israel instead implemented a complete blockade on the enclave, stopping all aid, medical supplies, and shelter materials from entering.
The strikes in Gaza, which have killed mainly women and children, also came on the same day that a renewed mass demonstration in Jerusalem was set to take place over Netanyahu’s plan to push out Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar from his position.
Critics see the move as an attempt by Netanyahu to avoid accountability for the Hamas attack on October 2023 and the war on the enclave. Israeli media reports noted that Netanyahu often requests that hearings in his corruption trial are cancelled so he can focus on the war on Gaza.
Calls for global protest
While politicians in Israel have hailed the renewed attacks on Gaza, Hamas has denounced “Netanyahu and his extremist government” and called on “free people of the world” to protest the latest attacks”.
A statement from the group called on people to “raise their voice in rejection of the resumption of the Zionist war of extermination against our people in the Gaza Strip”.
The group has also reiterated that it was committed to the ceasefire deal and was ready to comply with the proposal suggested by Trump’s envoy Adam Boehler, which would see an Israeli-American captive freed and the bodies of four dual nationals given back before moving onto the second phase.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels issued a statement condemning Israel for the “resumption of aggression against the Gaza Strip” and vowed that “the Palestinian people will not be left alone in this battle, and Yemen will continue its support and assistance, and escalate confrontation steps”.
Israel’s defence minister has called for the Rafah crossing to be closed off, stopping any patients leaving Gaza for medical treatment abroad.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Dannon, said the strikes on Gaza will continue and “we will show no mercy on our enemies”.
“Israel will not stop until all of our hostages are back home,” he continued.
The attacks on Gaza have been met with frustration from families of the captives held in Gaza.
The Israeli Families Forum issued a statement reading: “The greatest fear of the families of the hostages has been realised…the Israeli government has chosen to abandon the hostages. We are shocked, angry, and concerned by the deliberate disruption of the process”.
