Tel Aviv/Gaza: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced an escalation in military operations against Gaza, declaring that the latest attacks are “just the beginning” and that future negotiations with Hamas will take place “under fire.”, reported the Reuters.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military launched a fresh wave of airstrikes across the besieged enclave, killing over 404 Palestinians and injuring more than 562, primarily civilians, including women and children. The attacks shattered the ceasefire agreement that had been in place since January 19.
Netanyahu, in a televised address, justified the offensive, claiming that Israel had extended the truce despite not receiving hostages in return. “We sent delegations to Doha and accepted the US envoy’s proposal, but Hamas rejected all offers,” he asserted.
According to Israeli media reports, the US mediator had proposed a phased ceasefire, which included the release of five Israeli captives, humanitarian aid access, and prisoner exchanges. However, Hamas had conditioned the second phase on Israel ending the war and withdrawing from Gaza.
In response, Netanyahu vowed to continue the military campaign with “growing intensity.” He linked the renewed hostilities to Hamas’s refusal to release captives, warning, “From now on, we will negotiate only under fire.”
The latest escalation has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. The United Nations reported that one of its staff members was killed, and five others were injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting a UN guesthouse in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah.
With hospitals overwhelmed by casualties and essential supplies dwindling, aid agencies have called for an immediate halt to the violence.
The ongoing Israeli military campaign has drawn sharp international condemnation. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Additionally, Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), with human rights organizations documenting the widespread killing of civilians and systematic destruction of Palestinian infrastructure.
Since October 2023, over 48,500 Palestinians have been killed, and more than 112,000 injured in Israeli attacks. The latest offensive has been widely interpreted as a political maneuver by Netanyahu to secure his coalition’s support ahead of Israel’s 2025 budget approval.
Meanwhile, international pressure is mounting on Israel to halt its military operations and return to peace negotiations. However, with Netanyahu’s latest declaration, the prospect of de-escalation remains uncertain.
