Ceasefire shatters as Israel pounds Gaza with wave of deadly strikes

• Ceasefire over: Gaza’s fragile ceasefire was shattered early Tuesday as Israel carried out what it described as “extensive strikes” on Hamas targets. After the ceasefire ended, far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben Gvir said he would rejoin the government. Separately, several Arab nations accused Israel of violating the ceasefire.

• Hamas accusations: Hamas accused Israel of overturning the nearly two-month-long ceasefire agreement and “putting the captives in Gaza at risk of an unknown fate.” Israel accused Hamas of “repeatedly” refusing to release hostages and rejecting mediation offers.

• Deadliest day since November 2023: Israel’s attack has killed over 400 people and wounded hundreds more, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It’s the deadliest day in Gaza since November 7, 2023.

Our live coverage of Israel’s renewed attack on Gaza has ended for the day. To read more, click here.

Hamas wanted to see the continuation of the ceasefire agreement with Israel when Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government resumed its strikes on the enclave, a spokesperson for the militant group said Tuesday.

“Hamas’ interest was in the continuation of the agreement,” Abdul Latif Al-Qanou said in a post on Telegram, adding that the group is “dealing responsibly and positively with whatever is proposed to stop the aggression and lift the siege.”

This comes after Israel’s foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein accused Hamas of rejecting “two concrete mediation proposals presented by the US president’s envoy, Steve Witkoff.”

Al-Qanou said that Witkoff’s proposal “was on the negotiating table, and Hamas did not reject it and dealt with it positively.” He also said “Netanyahu resumed the war to thwart the agreement.”

Al-Qanou added that Hamas is in “constant contact” with mediators following Israel’s resumption of strikes on Gaza, posting that the militant group “will continue to deal flexibly and positively with the mediators to repel the aggression against our people and compel the occupation to abide by the agreement.”

Doctors and healthcare workers described hellish scenes in hospitals across Gaza on Tuesday, following the resumption of Israeli strikes which have killed more than 400 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

“The smell of burnt flesh is still in my nose” Australian medic Mohammed Mustafa said in a video uploaded to his Instagram account. He said he woke up to airstrikes around 1 a.m., and had been working non-stop for hours as the bombing continued around him.

The Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City where he works has ran out of painkillers, anesthesia, and sedatives, Mustafa said. Seven injured girls had limbs amputated without anesthesia and intubated patients are choking because they can’t be sedated, he added.

Mustafa said most of the victims he saw were women and children with serious burns and missing limbs.

Gaza officials said more than 170 children were killed in the overnight attack, in what the United Nations children’s agency said was one of the largest single-day child death tolls in the past year globally.

“Today, Gaza’s one million children – who have endured more than 15 months of war – have been plunged back into a world of fear and death. The attacks and the violence must stop – now,” UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement Tuesday.

Israel would continue to fight until its war aims are achieved, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas in a televised address on Tuesday.

He described Israel’s renewed deadly attacks on Gaza as a “return to battle forcefully,” arguing that military pressure is necessary to get the remaining hostages released. The Israeli military would continue fighting Hamas with increasing force, he added.

Three former hostages who were released in recent months called on Israel to return to the negotiating table to free the remaining hostages, arguing in remarks at Hostages Square that military pressure will not secure their release.

As Israel returned to war in Gaza aiming to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages, the former hostages all said they believe Israel’s return to war puts the hostages in danger.

“Military operations endanger their lives directly,” recently-released hostage Sasha Troufanov said.

Iair Horn, whose brother Eitan is still being held hostage, echoed that sentiment, saying “military pressure will not save the hostages — we know this from our own experience.”

Keith Siegel, the American-Israeli released last month, recalled how terrified he was when the 2023 ceasefire collapsed and he began hearing war planes, missiles and explosions.

“Today, the ceasefire has collapsed. For the 59 hostages still held in Gaza and their families this moment brings renewed fear—not only of the ongoing attacks but of a breakdown in negotiations that could bring them home,” Siegel said.

Siegel, who recently met with US President Donald Trump at the White House, also addressed himself directly to Trump on Tuesday evening, saying he is convinced he “will not stop your efforts to secure the release of the 59 remaining hostages.”

The United Nations Ambassador of the Palestinian Territories, Dr. Riyad Mansour, lamented the gruesome scenes in Gaza as Israel resumed its strikes on the enclave.

Mansour emphasized that the renewed attacks come during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan which is typically a time for peace. “In our tradition, nobody would fight during the month of Ramadan,” he said.

Numerous European countries on Tuesday condemned Israel’s renewed war in Gaza, which killed more than 400 people in the enclave, while urging both sides to respect the ceasefire deal.

Here’s what they are saying:

Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin condemned Israel’s strikes, noting that they have resulted in “hundreds of civilian deaths.” He called on both Israel and Hamas to respect the ceasefire deal, urging “all sides to step back from the brink of the resumption of an all-out war.”

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that “the civilian casualties from Israeli strikes overnight are appalling,” calling on both parties to “re-engage with negotiations to get hostages out, surge aid, and secure a permanent end to this conflict. Diplomacy, not more bloodshed, is how we get security for Israelis and Palestinians.”

Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said “the agreement between Israel and Hamas is clear: it provides for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. I denounce the new Israeli strikes and their heavy human toll, which threatens these objectives.” Prevot condemned the blocking of humanitarian aid to civilians and called on all parties to implement the second phase of the ceasefire deal.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said that he had spoken to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the “latest alarming reports about the war in Gaza,” adding that “it is crucial that all parties respect the ceasefire and the agreement on the release of the hostages.”

Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela called Israel’s overnight strikes on Gaza “barbarous,” saying that Malta’s government “strongly condemns” the attacks.

Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen called for all parties to “respect the ceasefire” and for the release of all remaining hostages. “We expect full protection of civilians and immediate unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid,” she posted to X.

Switzerland’s foreign ministry called for “an immediate return to the ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid.”

Portugal’s foreign ministry called Israel’s strikes on Gaza “deeply alarming,” adding that “all parties must respect the ceasefire agreement and implement its second phase.”

Norway’s foreign minister Espen Barth Eide called the situation a “nightmare” for Palestinian civilians, the hostages, and their families.

Estonia’s foreign ministry said it is “deeply concerned about the escalation of conflict in Gaza, resulting in the tragic loss of innocent lives,” calling on both Israel and Hamas to resume peace negotiations.

Poland’s foreign ministry said it “deplores the renewed hostilities and civilian casualties from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza Strip,” urging “all parties to cease fighting and fully implement the ceasefire to enable the release of all hostages and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid.”

Slovenia’s foreign ministry also said it is “deeply concerned about the renewed attacks in Gaza, which have tragically claimed innocent lives,” urging Israel to “cease all military operations immediately, allowing for all hostages to be returned and call for the restoration of full humanitarian access. All parties must return to negotiations leading to a lasting peace and a two-state solution.”

António Costa, president of the European Council, said he is “shocked and saddened by the news coming from Gaza and the many civilian casualties following the Israeli airstrikes.” Costa called for the terms of the ceasefire agreement to be respected, for hostages and detainees to be released, and for humanitarian aid to be resumed into Gaza.

Israel’s renewed attacks in Gaza are “not a one-day operation” and the country’s military campaign will continue in the coming days, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said.

The United States was informed prior to the renewed attacks on Gaza, which were initially decided upon several days ago, Sa’ar told the Board of Directors of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Jerusalem.

“We are now 17 days after the conclusion of the first phase of the deal. We conducted negotiations to extend the first phase, led by President Trump’s Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff. Witkoff presented two different proposals, both of which Hamas rejected,” Sa’ar told the board at the foreign ministry.

“This situation could not continue. We struck Hamas and additional terror targets in Gaza,” he added.

The top US diplomat at the United Nations said Tuesday “the blame for the resumption of hostilities” in Gaza “lies solely with Hamas” after Israel pummeled the strip with airstrikes, killing more than 400 people.

“Hamas refused this offer, preferring still to hold hostages captive and hide amongst the people of Gaza, using them as human shields,” Shea said. “It is the people of Gaza who will suffer further because of Hamas’s disregard for human life.”

Shea noted that US President Donald Trump “has made clear that Hamas must release the hostages immediately or pay a high price, and we support Israel in its next steps.”

A State Department spokesperson argued that “every death would have and could have been avoided had Hamas accepted the ‘bridge’ proposal” put forward by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

“Hamas bears total responsibility for the war, and for the resumption of hostilities,” they said.

“The pillars of our approach remain resolute: stand with Israel, stand for peace,” they said.

Israel’s defense minister doubled down on the government’s decision to resume strikes in Gaza, warning Hamas that “that the rules of the game have changed.”

As he visited the Tel Nof base, Israel Katz added that Israel “will not stop fighting until all the hostages are returned home and all threats to the residents of the south are removed,” according to a video statement shared by the defense ministry.

Families of the hostages have been highly critical of the continued attacks in Gaza. In a statement shared by the Hostages and Missing Families’ Forum on Tuesday, they said Israel’s operations in Gaza will have a direct impact on the hostages.

Speaking in the Knesset building, hostage families said Hamas could not be defeated when 59 hostages remain in the enclave.

Michel Illouz, father of Guy Illouz, called Tuesday an “unfortunate day that will be remembered for eternity” and accused the government of never intending to abide by the ceasefire.

Danny Elgarat, brother of deceased hostage Itzik Elgarat, said the government “activated a self-destruct mechanism on the kidnapped people,” and that it determined their fate would be “like the fate of the Hamas terrorists.”

Israel has resumed its war in Gaza after launching “extensive” overnight airstrikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to use “increasing military strength” against Hamas, and claimed the group has refused to extend a ceasefire agreement.

In response, families of hostages are protesting, while Arab nations and Hamas have accused Israel of breaking the truce.

Here’s what you need to know about what has happened so far:

• Israel’s justification: “Tonight we returned to fighting in Gaza,” declared Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz.Israel’s military and security agency said they were “conducting extensive strikes” on Hamas targets in Gaza. The strikes will continue for “as long as necessary and will expand beyond airstrikes,” an Israeli official told CNN. And the Israeli envoy to the UN said there would be “no mercy” while hostages remain in Gaza. One Israeli official told CNN the military’s renewed offensive in Gaza could be halted if Hamas agrees to a deal to release more hostages.

• Gaza’s deadliest day in over 15 months: More than 400 people have been killed, Gaza’s healthy ministry said. This makes it the worst single-day death toll since November 7, 2023. Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal told CNN that “more than 130 children and many women” were among those killed, including entire families.

• Arab nations accuse Israel of violating Gaza ceasefire: Several Arab states, including Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, have denounced Israel’s renewed war in Gaza.

• Families of hostages still in Gaza protest: Protesters have gathered near Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem to demonstrate against Netanyahu’s decisions to restart the war in Gaza and to dismiss the head of the domestic security agency, the Shin Bet.

• What does the US say? Israel notified the Trump administration ahead of its “extensive strikes” in Gaza. “Hamas, the Houthis, all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel but also the United States of America, will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News in an interview.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, just two months old, has been shaky for some time. But that was thoroughly shattered by Israel’s bombardment of Gaza overnight.

The Israeli government has given different reasons for restarting the fighting.

Overnight, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the attacks were “due to Hamas’ refusal to release the hostages and threats to harm IDF soldiers and Israeli communities.” If that sounds like the same reason Israel has given for attacking Gaza since October 7, 2023, that’s because it is. Israel’s war goals in Gaza are to return the 251 hostages taken by Hamas and destroy Hamas’ governing and military capabilities.

Another Israeli official said Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza are the first phase in a series of escalatory military actions aimed at pressuring Hamas into releasing more hostages, marking a return to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s view that military pressure is the most effective way to secure the release of hostages.

• Read more about the reasons for returning to war here.

More than 400 people have been killed after Israel carried out what it described as “extensive strikes,” marking the end of a fragile ceasefire that had been in place since January 19.

Here’s what it looks like on the ground for many after the strikes.

Several Arab states have denounced Israel’s renewed war in Gaza, where the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed as Israeli strikes killed more than 400 Palestinians.

In a statement, Jordan’s foreign ministry called on Israel to “adhere to the ceasefire agreement in all its phases,” warning of the potential for regional instability “if Israel continues its aggression against Gaza.”

Egyptand Qatar, which mediated the ceasefire, also condemned Israel’s strikes on Gaza, as did Saudi Arabia.

Egypt called Israel’s strikes “a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” adding that Israel’s actions are “aimed at reintroducing tension to the region and undermining efforts to achieve de-escalation and restore stability.”

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Israel’s actions constitute “yet another heinous crime.”

“The brutal bombardment of Gaza this morning, targeting displaced women and children in their tents while they are asleep, during the unjust blockade, lack of aid and collapsing medical facilities, constitutes yet another heinous crime perpetuated by the occupation without any sense of responsibility,” Al Thani said on X.

Saudi Arabia condemned what it called Israel’s “direct shelling of civilian areas, with no regard for international humanitarian law.”

Gaza experienced its deadliest day since November 2023 on Tuesday, according to a CNN count, as Israel resumed the war with a deadly wave of airstrikes on the enclave.

More than 400 people were killed, Gaza’s health ministry said, making it the worst single-day toll since November 7, 2023, when 548 died.

Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal told CNN that “more than 130 children and many women” have been killed, including entire families.

The acting director of the United Nations Works and Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) told CNN it’s not too late to stop hostilities in Gaza and return to a ceasefire.

His comments came after Israel began striking Gaza again overnight, killing more than 400 people and putting an end to a fragile ceasefire that had been in place since January 19.

The strikes landed across the enclave, from Gaza City, Khan Younis in the north to Rafah in the south.

Prior to today’s strikes in Gaza, more than 48,000 Palestinians were killed in the period from October 7, 2023 to January 2025.

Many of those who survived have been displaced from their homes, and are now sheltering in homes or tents with more than 60% of buildings in the strip destroyed.

A former Israeli hostage negotiator who once acted as a channel to Hamas said Israel’s renewed strikes on Gaza show US President Donald Trump’s failure to live up to his promise to end the war there.

Trump is “doing the opposite,” Gershon Baskin said.

During presidential campaigns, Trump repeatedly promised to end the war in Gaza once he assumed office.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that Israel notified the Trump administration ahead of its strikes in Gaza. Hamas has said that Israel’s coordination with the United States confirms Washington’s “complicity in the war.”

For the remaining living hostages in Gaza, the resumption of the war is “a death sentence,” Baskin said.

Of the 58 hostages kidnapped on October 7, fewer than half are believed to be alive.

Baskin added that the renewed war in Gaza ensures Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political survival, and enabled him to bring back far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir into his coalition.

An Israeli official has told CNN that the military’s renewed offensive in Gaza could be halted if Hamas agrees to a deal to release more hostages.

The official said Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza are the first phase in a series of escalatory military actions aimed at pressuring Hamas into releasing more hostages, marking a return to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s view that military pressure is the most effective way to secure the release of hostages.

Egyptian mediators are already scrambling to jumpstart negotiations between Israel and Hamas again in an effort to revive the ceasefire with the release of additional hostages, the official said.

But the official added that Israel is unlikely to stop its escalating military offensive without a deal to release additional hostages, determined to force Hamas to negotiate under fire.

Israel plans to gradually ramp up its military operations in Gaza, the official said, but it remains unclear how soon Israel could send ground troops into the territory again.

As Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza early Tuesday morning, dozens of civilians started flowing into hospitals.

One volunteer doctor with Medical Aid for Palestinians described the moment casualties started arriving at Nasser hospital, in the territory’s south:

“It’s nuts here, we woke up to an airstrike frenzy. The windows were shaking, the doors flew open, it was non-stop and then within about 10 minutes we started hearing the sirens. The patients have been flowing in ever since,” Dr. Tanya-Haj Hassan said.

“I finally made it up to the intensive care unit, I’m in the paediatric intensive care unit where we usually don’t care for trauma cases but there are so many paediatric trauma cases that all the PICU beds are full now.”

“The ER [emergency room] was just chaos, patients everywhere on the floor. There were probably three men and the rest were all children, women, elderly, everybody caught in their sleep, still wrapped in blankets. Terrifying. A level of horror and evil that its really hard to articulate. It felt like Armageddon,” Hassan said.

Hamas has strongly rejected Israeli claims that it violated the Gaza ceasefire and was preparing attacks on Israel, while seemingly opting not to respond militarily to the resumption of fighting.

The group said claims that it was preparing to strike Israeli forces were “baseless” pretexts to justify Israel’s return to war and designed to “mislead public opinion.”

Hamas is not known to have fired rockets at Israel in several weeks. It also appears to have refrained from striking Israel or its soldiers in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect on January 19.

Israel has occasionally struck Gaza during the ceasefire, saying it is targeting Hamas.

Israel’s foreign ministry said Tuesday the decision to restart the war in Gaza came after Hamas rejected two US proposals.

Hamas spokesperson Abdul Latif Al-Qanou said earlier that the group adhered to “all the terms” of the truce and “was keen to consolidate it and move to the second phase,” but that Israel refused.

It is unclear what remains of Hamas’ arsenal. While the group has been significantly weakened, Israel claims that it has been able to repeatedly regroup.

Some Israeli political and military officials have warned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stated goal of destroying Hamas is too ambitious and likely unachievable.

Far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben Gvir will rejoin the government along with his Otzma Yehudit, or Jewish Power, party after the ceasefire in Gaza ended.

In a joint statement released by the ruling-Likud Party and Otzma Yehudit, both parties announced that Ben Gvir and two other Otzma Yehudit ministers would rejoin the government as early as today.

Ben Gvir resigned from his position as national security minister in January in protest at the ceasefire deal. At the time he said the remaining hostages in Gaza should be freed “through the use of force.”

Minister for the Development of the Negev and Galilee Yitzhak Wasserlauf, and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu had also resigned in January.

A woman at the Al-Shifa hospital, in northern Gaza, stands screaming, next to the bodies of her family members, all killed by Israeli bombs falling on the nearby Al-Tabi’een school.

Speaking to CNN, al-Janad said she had been making an iftar meal for her children for Ramadan when “all of a sudden the missiles fell” on the school where they were sleeping. Her family had been fasting to observe the holiest month of the Muslim calendar.

Among those killed were children aged two, three and five, al-Janad added.

CNN has contacted the Israel Defense Forces for comment.

Khader Al-Za’anoun of Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, contributed to this report.

Protesters are gathering near Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem to demonstrate against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decisions to restart the war in Gaza and to dismiss the head of the domestic security agency, the Shin Bet.

Banners called for the return of all hostages and decried what they saw as a risk to Israel’s democracy.

Protesters upheld posters with slogans saying:

Hamas and its allies still hold 59 hostages in Gaza. Of those, 58 people were taken from Israel on October 7, 2023 (55 men and three women). According to the Israeli government, 34 of them are declared dead and 24 are believed to be alive.

Another hostage, soldier Hadar Goldin, was killed in 2014 and his body has been held captive since then.

The death toll from Israel’s renewed strikes in Gaza has reached 404, the health ministry in the enclave said, adding that several people remain trapped under the rubble.

Another 562 people have been injured, the health ministry said.

Gaza Civil Defense spokesman, Mahmoud Basal, told CNN that “more than 130 children and many women” have been killed, including entire families.

“We are in front of a very difficult situation and our medical and civil defense efforts do not meet the needed scale of the catastrophe,” Basal said.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the decision to restart military operations in Gaza came after “Hamas rejected two concrete mediation proposals presented by the US president’s envoy, Steve Witkoff.”

In a statement on Tuesday, ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said Israel had agreed to the two proposals, whereas Hamas did not.

“As of this morning, Israel is operating with full force against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip,” the statement said. “From this point forward, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military intensity.”

CNN is reaching out to Hamas for comment on Marmorstein’s claim.

Hamas spokesperson Abdul Latif Al-Qanou said earlier Tueday that the group adhered to “all the terms” of the truce the two sides reached in January and “was keen to consolidate it and move to the second phase, but the occupation refused.”

The ceasefire was meant to have three phases. The first phase began in January and expired on March 1. Hamas wanted to enter phase two – which would have seen Israeli troops fully withdraw from Gaza and the release of all living hostages held by Hamas. Israel instead pushed for an extension of phase one, without committing to end the war or withdraw troops.

Fifty-eight hostages abducted in the October 7 attacks remain in Gaza. 193 have been recovered so far.

The mother of Matan Zangauker, an Israeli hostage in Gaza, has accused Netanyahu of choosing “the murder of hostages” as Israeli airstrikes resumed on Gaza early Tuesday morning.

Einav Zangauker accused Netanyahu of choosing “cheap politics over our children, our brothers and sisters who are in captivity.”

She called on the people of Israel to take to the streets and form human barriers.

“I will not let an intelligence officer knock on my door to tell me Matan has been murdered,” Zangauker said.

This post has been updated to correct the spelling of Matan Zangauker’s name.

Israel’s coordination with the United States ahead of resuming the Gaza war confirms Washington’s “complicity in the war,” Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif Al-Qanou said on Tuesday.

“The occupation’s prior coordination with the US administration confirms its complicity in the war of genocide against our people and provides cover for its war crimes,” Al-Qanou said on Telegram, adding that Hamas calls on the international community to “take immediate action to pressure the occupation to stop the bloodshed in Gaza.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that Israel notified the Trump administration ahead of its strikes in Gaza.

Hamas’ Al-Qanou said the group adhered to “all the terms” of the truce and “was keen to consolidate it and move to the second phase, but the occupation refused.”

The head of the United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said resuming the Israel-Hamas war would “only bring more despair & suffering,” and called for a return to a ceasefire in Gaza.

Philippe Lazzarini said on X that there were “awful scenes of civilians killed among them children” following Israeli bombardment of the enclave.

Israel’s latest bombardment in Gaza has struck tents and buildings where displaced people, including children, have taken refuge since the war began 15 months ago, a spokesperson for the United Nations children’s agency said.

“It’s been a really, really tough night for all of us here in the Al-Mawasi Rafah area. This is the area where families had fled to during the war,” said Rosalia Bollen, a UNICEF spokesperson in southern Gaza’s Rafah.

Gazans woke up to airstrikes around 2 a.m. local time with “very heavy, loud explosions” that left the building they were staying at “violently shaking,” she told CNN’s Christina McFarlane.

Israel’s renewed bombardment comes on the heels of a blockade of aid supplies. Bollen said UNICEF and other humanitarian organizations have not been able to collect critical supplies from the crossings for two weeks.

“And these hospitals will now again be overwhelmed with very severely injured people. And beyond those hundreds reported killed, there will be many more very badly injured, including scores of children, so we call for the reinstatement of the ceasefire – this is absolutely critical to save children’s lives,” Bollen said.

Deir al-Balah resident Salah Abu Jamous said he woke up to “the sounds of explosions and fire,” and saw bodies burnt on the street after Israel’s wave of attacks across Gaza overnight.

Another resident, Rajab Abu Sultan told CNN he had been “pulling the remains of children since this morning” since 2 a.m. local time.

“We have been pulling the remains of children since this morning,” Gaza resident Rajab Abu Sultan told CNN, standing among rubble in the Dier al-Balah area after a night of Israeli strikes across the enclave.

Abu Sultan said that residents had gathered since 2 a.m., when the attack began, to “collect the remains of people from the streets.”

The death toll from Israel’s renewed strikes on Gaza has risen to at least 326, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Israelis whose family members are still being held hostage in Gaza have demanded to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials after Israel resumed extensive and deadly airstrikes on the enclave, shattering a ceasefire with Hamas.

“Families of the hostages will demand: Stop the killing and disappearance of the kidnapped now! First return them – then everything else,” a spokesperson for the group said.

The Forum accused officials of not meeting with the group because “they were planning to blow up the ceasefire, which could sacrifice their family members” still held captive in Gaza.

In total, 251 people were kidnapped from Israel in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. Of the 59 hostages remaining in Gaza, fewer than half are believed to be alive, according to the count by the Israeli Government Press Office.

The images coming out of Gaza are horribly familiar. Bloodied civilians and children paying the price of Israel’s “extensive strikes” on Hamas targets in Gaza.

The jubilation of two months ago when the ceasefire was declared has been replaced by grief and mourning.

Even in January, it was clear that progressing to the second phase of a three-phase deal Hamas and Israel had agreed to was ambitious. Today it looks almost impossible.

It is a deal that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had very public reservations about. While agreeing to the temporary ceasefire, he insisted both the Biden and Trump administrations had given the green light to return to war if negotiations failed.

He saw his path forward not with mediators Egypt and Qatar, ignoring deadlines stipulated by the deal, but by heading to Washington to meet face to face with President Trump.

Trump’s decision to upend decades of US policy and announce a plan to displace more than two million Palestinians from Gaza and create the “Riviera” of the Middle East, was likely more than Netanyahu could ever have hoped for.

It also sounded the death knell for the original ceasefire deal that Trump himself had taken credit for. By returning to war, Netanyahu has now shored up far-right support in his cabinet, which his political survival relies on.

Those elements have advocated a return to war and a complete destruction of Hamas; a concept even Israeli military officials have said is impossible.

Netanyahu has also diverted domestic attention from his efforts to sideline security and intelligence chiefs and ensured his presence at his own corruption trial be postponed, albeit temporarily.

The decision to return to war though could yet encourage more Israelis to come out to pre-organized protests today and tomorrow, gatherings which were already expected to be sizeable.

One opposition politician Yair Golan says, “the soldiers on the front lines and the hostages in Gaza are merely pawns in his (Netanyahu’s) survival game.”

An advocacy group representing hostage families says their greatest fear has come true, adding “the Israeli government chose to give up on the hostages.”

What is missing this time is a viable off-ramp, or a US president willing to persuade Netanyahu, however unsuccessfully, to temper his actions.

The Israeli military has declared a “massive offensive” in Gaza and ordered civilians in multiple neighborhoods to evacuate.

“The IDF has launched a massive offensive against terrorist organizations. These designated areas are considered dangerous combat zones!” Avichay Adraee, Arabic spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, wrote in a post on X that also showed a map of Gaza showing swathes of the enclave’s neighborhoods colored red.

He urged residents to evacuate to shelters in western Gaza City and Khan Younis, particularly those in the neighborhoods of Beit Hanoun, Khirbet Khuza’a, Abasan al-Kabira and al-Jadida.

The border fence area has been highly dangerous since fighting began on October 7, 2023 – though the zone appears to have expanded with this latest order, in some areas by several kilometers.

The death toll from Israel’s extensive strikes on Gaza has risen to at least 326, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave.

More than 440 people have been wounded, some very seriously, as rescue workers search for victims believed to be under the rubble, the ministry said earlier.

China is “highly concerned” about the resumption of widespread and deadly Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, and called for a return to the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Beijing’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

“China is highly concerned about the current Israel-Palestine situation,” Mao Ning, a foreign ministry spokesperson, told a regular press briefing.

Israel’s return to war in Gaza will inevitably worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, a leading humanitarian organization warned on Tuesday.

Shaina Low, a communications adviser at the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), said her colleagues in Gaza were woken up by “intensive bombing” from Israeli attacks that continued until dawn.

“People, including our staff, are, of course, in shock. They are very stressed out. They are very worried about what is to come,” Low told CNN’s Rosemary Church from Jordan’s capital Amman.

About half of the NRC’s Palestinian staff had returned to northern Gaza to see their families and check on their homes since the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect two months ago, Low said.

Israel’s more than two-week-long blockade of food and other humanitarian aid into Gaza has exacerbated suffering in the strip, Low said, adding that the new Israeli bombardment threatened to further restrict residents’ access to vital fuel and water.

Gaza’s hospitals are “completely full” and struggling to treat wounded Palestinians flooding in following renewed Israeli strikes, the head of the enclave’s biggest hospital said.

“Our hospitals are unable to accommodate the increasing number of injured, as operating rooms are completely full, and the wounded are dying without finding a bed for treatment,” Muhammad Abu Salmiya, of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said in a post on X.

He said the attack had dealt a blow to “an exhausted healthcare system suffering from a shortage of medications and a severe lack of medical equipment.”

Israel’s strikes have killed over 200 people and wounded hundreds more, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

A doctor at another hospital previously told CNN she had personally pronounced between 15 to 20 people dead in scenes that were “nothing close to anything I’ve experienced before” and that the majority of patients she had seen were children.

The death toll from Israel’s extensive strikes on Gaza has risen to at least 254, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave.

More than 440 people have been wounded, some very seriously, as rescue workers search for victims believed to be under the rubble, the ministry said.

The strikes targeted multiple parts of Gaza, from the south and north to central areas.

Families of Israeli hostages have seen their “greatest fear” realized, an advocacy group representing them said on Tuesday, after Israel launched a wave of deadly strikes on Gaza that shattered the tenuous ceasefire with Hamas.

A spokesperson for the Families’ Headquarters for the Return of the Abductees slammed Israel’s claim that it had attacked Hamas targets in Gaza to facilitate the release of the hostages as “a complete deception,” and demanded a return to the truce.

In total, 251 people were kidnapped from Israel in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. Of the dozens of hostages remaining in Gaza, fewer than half are believed to be alive.

The families of the hostages also urged US President Donald Trump, who was briefed on Israel’s strikes before they were carried out Tuesday, to help free the remaining captives.

“We call on President Trump to continue to act as he has declared and acted so far, to release all the hostages,” the group said.

Israeli hardliners have welcomed the resumption of widespread deadly airstrikes on Gaza that have shattered a fragile ceasefire with Hamas.

“This is a phased operation that we have planned and built in recent weeks,” said finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also a far-right member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security council.

“This moment is why we remained in the government,” he added, referring to his previous threat to pull out of the ruling coalition if Israel doesn’t restart its war against Hamas.

Itamar Ben Gvir – a far-right figure who quit his post as national security minister over the ceasefire – also welcomed the strikes.

“The existence of Hamas cannot be tolerated, and it is our duty to bring about its collapse,” he said on Telegram.

A spokesman for Ben Gvir said today that talks were underway to bring him back into government.

Israel’s overnight strikes on Gaza came just hours before large-scale protests were slated to take place in Tel Aviv against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to fire the head of Israel’s internal security service.

Netanyahu announced last week that he would remove the chief of the Shin Bet security service, Ronen Bar, citing his “ongoing distrust” of the leader. Netanyahu has frequently criticized the agency, placing blame on its leaders for the security lapses that led to the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.

But the decision has been controversial. A protest is expected to take place today in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, with similar protests planned in Jerusalem on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The resumption of widespread airstrikes on Gaza has drawn criticism inside Israel, which remains deeply polarized about Netanyahu’s right-wing administration.

Yair Golan, chairman of Israel’s Democrats party, wrote on X that soldiers and hostages in Gaza were “merely pawns” to the prime minister, calling on the public to “erupt in fury” in protest.

Some context: Even before the latest round of fighting in Gaza, Netanyahu was a divisive figure at home who is embroiled in legal battles and an ongoing corruption trial. He had a hearing scheduled for that trial today – which has since been canceled, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Netanyahu will convene a security meeting later this morning, said the prime minister’s office.

Heavily wounded patients and bodies, including those of children, are piling up at a Gaza City hospital after Israel launched airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave in the early hours of Tuesday, a volunteer doctor told CNN.

Dr. Razan Al-Nahhas, a physician volunteering with the Humanity Auxilium organization at the Al-Ahli Hospital, said the strikes began at around 2 a.m. local time and the clinic has since been receiving patients non-stop.

An Israeli official claimed the attack in Gaza targeted the group’s “mid-ranking military commanders, leadership officials and terrorist infrastructure.”

But at her hospital, Al-Nahhas said the majority of those killed were women and children.

From a balcony in one of the hospital buildings, Al-Nahhas said she “can see all the bodies of the people that have been killed lined up,” saying at least 50 of them were “just wrapped in blankets” because there was no morgue.

“I guess the families were just waiting to figure out their next steps. And they keep bringing more bodies. I lost count of how many patients… I pronounced dead myself,” she said, adding the figure could be around 15 to 20.

“It’s really hard to tell the numbers right now because there are just patients everywhere on the floor and the stretchers in the hallways,” she said.

Israel’s resumption of strikes on Gaza comes as renewed violence flares up in the Middle East.

Houthis in Yemen: Dozens of people were reported killed after US President Donald Trump ordered “decisive” military action against Houthi rebels in Yemen this week, opening a new salvo against the Iran-backed group.

The Houthis started launching drone and missile strikes on vessels in the Red Sea in late 2023 in what they say is revenge for Israel’s war in Gaza. The group has targeted more than 100 ships and vessels, including with drones, missiles and small ships, significantly impacting global trade.

The US has been working to degrade Houthi capabilities for months. The Houthis paused their attacks when a Gaza ceasefire was declared in January, but have since threatened to resume them in response to Israel’s aid blockade on the enclave.

Syria-Lebanon tensions: Meanwhile, deadly cross-border attacks have underscored escalating tensions between Lebanon and Syria’s new Islamist-led government.

Syria’s new government is led by former Sunni-Islamist militants who ousted the regime of Iran-allied Bashar al-Assad late last year. Lebanon-based Shiite group Hezbollah had intervened in Syria during the country’s civil war to help Assad fight the Sunni militants.

The two countries agreed to a ceasefire on Monday, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported, after the attacks left 10 dead and more than 50 wounded in recent days.

Gaza is reeling from a night of carnage.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 200 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The breakdown in the Hamas-Israel ceasefire comes after weeks of tense negotiations — and could spell further devastation for Gazans after Israel cut off electricity and blocked humanitarian aid.

Here’s what you need to know:

What happened? Airstrikes rained down across Gaza, with hospitals in northern, central and southern Gaza reporting casualties. Journalists working for CNN on the ground heard strikes in multiple locations, including Gaza City, Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.

What’s the toll? At least 210 people have been killed and hundreds wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Civil Defense in Gaza said a number of people were “trapped under the rubble of homes that were bombed in various areas,” and that the death toll included children.

The toll could continue to rise as the extent of the damage becomes clearer in the daytime.

What Israel said: Israel’s military and security agency said they were “conducting extensive strikes” on Hamas targets in Gaza.

“Tonight we returned to fighting in Gaza,” declared Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to use “increasing military strength” against Hamas. Both claimed Hamas had refused to extend a ceasefire agreement.

The strikes will continue “as long as necessary and will expand beyond airstrikes,” an Israeli official told CNN. And the Israeli envoy to the UN said there would be “no mercy” while hostages remain in Gaza.

Israel accused Hamas of rejecting all offers put forward by United States presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and mediators.

What Hamas said: Hamas accused Netanyahu and his government of unilaterally deciding to overturn the ceasefire agreement, and “putting the captives in Gaza at risk of an unknown fate.”

One Hamas leader warned that the airstrikes were a “death sentence” for the remaining Israeli hostages in the enclave.

What the US said: Israel notified the Trump administration ahead of its strikes on Gaza, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday.

How did we get here? The ceasefire was meant to have three phases. The first phase began in January and expired on March 1 — but Hamas and Israel have been unable to agree on how to move into the second phase.

Hamas wanted to enter phase two — which would have seen Israeli troops fully withdraw from Gaza and the release of all living hostages held by Hamas. Israel instead pushed for an extension of phase one, without committing to end the war or withdraw troops.

The Israeli military has continued to operate inside Gaza since the start of the ceasefire on January 19, but Tuesday’s airstrikes are the clearest sign that efforts to extend the truce have collapsed — just a day shy of two months since it began.

Any breakdown of the ceasefire spells even more hardship in the struggle to survive for Gazans, with the enclave already in desperate need of critical supplies.

Food and electricity blocked: Israel has blocked the supply of food and other humanitarian aid into Gaza for the past two weeks in a bid to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages and impose new conditions on the extension of the truce. Israel also cut electricity to the last facility in Gaza that was still receiving power from the Israel Electric Corporation, intensifying the enclave’s existing water crisis and severely impacting desalination efforts.

The return of thousands of trucks carrying food, hygiene supplies and other necessities during the pause in fighting had somewhat alleviated dire humanitarian conditions that have gripped Gaza since the fighting began.

A return to the 17-month war that has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, would “lead to an immense tragedy,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said last month.

On Tuesday, Hamas leader Ezzat al-Rishq said the new airstrikes were a “death sentence” for the remaining Israeli hostages held in the enclave.

Hostages and deaths: In total, 251 people were kidnapped from Israel in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. Of the nearly 60 hostages remaining in Gaza, fewer than half are believed to be alive.

As of Tuesday, more than 48,500 people in Gaza have been killed since October 7, 2023, and more than 112,000 wounded.

Israel’s new airstrikes on Gaza are a “death sentence” for the remaining Israeli hostages held in the enclave, a Hamas leader said on Tuesday.

“Netanyahu’s decision to return to war is a decision to sacrifice the prisoners of the occupation and a death sentence against them,” said Hamas leader Ezzat al-Rishq, a member of the Palestinian militant group’s political bureau, referring to Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In total, 251 people were kidnapped from Israel in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. Of the nearly 60 hostages remaining in Gaza, fewer than half are believed to be alive.

Israeli strikes killed at least 210 people and injured hundreds across Gaza early Tuesday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the enclave.

The strikes hit multiple parts of the enclave, from north to south, with several hospitals reporting deaths and injuries.

The Hamas-Israel ceasefire shattered early Tuesday as Israel resumed widespread strikes across Gaza, which have killed and wounded dozens.

The Israeli military has continued to operate inside Gaza since the start of the ceasefire on January 19, but Tuesday’s airstrikes are the clearest sign that efforts to extend the truce have collapsed.

The first phase of the ceasefire saw multiple hostages released. But it reached its expiration date on March 1 – with Israel and Hamas split on where to go from there.

The weeks since have been filled with thorny negotiations.

A sticking point: Hamas wanted to see a move to the previously agreed phase two of the agreement, which would have seen Israeli troops fully withdraw from Gaza and the release of all living hostages held by Hamas. Israel instead pushed for an extension of phase one, without committing to end the war or withdraw troops.

Last week, the US put forth a new proposal that would secure the release of a handful of living hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a month-long extension of the ceasefire.

Israel would also lift its blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been ongoing for nearly two weeks, a source familiar with the negotiations told CNN last week.

On Friday, Hamas said it was instead prepared to release American-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander and the bodies of four dual nationals held hostage in Gaza.

But Israel alleged that Hamas had rejected the proposal, put forth by US envoy Steve Witkoff without a commitment by Israel for a permanent ceasefire.

It repeated this claim on Tuesday as the strikes began raining down across Gaza, with Defense Minister Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both blaming Hamas’ “refusal to release the hostages” as the trigger for resuming fighting.

Hamas countered that Israel had overtured the ceasefire agreement, “putting the captives in Gaza at risk of an unknown fate.”

Israel’s strikes hit targets across Gaza early Tuesday, with hospitals receiving casualties in multiple locations in the Palestinian enclave.

Deaths and injuries, including of children, have been reported at medical centers from the northern end of the strip to its southern tip more than 30 kilometers (over 18 miles) away, including Al-Awda hospital in Tal Al-Zaatar, northern Gaza; Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, central Gaza; and Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Several hospitals said the injuries were due to civilian homes being hit by the strikes.

Israel will show “no mercy” while hostages remain in Gaza, the country’s ambassador to the United Nations said, as Israeli military strikes rained down on the Palestinian enclave early Tuesday.

Danon’s statement also blamed Hamas for the breakdown in the ceasefire agreement, claiming the militant group “refused to agree” to an extended agreement.

Last week, the United States put forward a new proposal that would secure the release of a handful of living hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a month-long extension of the ceasefire.

Hamas said Friday it had responded to a proposal to extend the truce, “which included its approval” to release American-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander and the bodies of four dual nationals held hostage in Gaza.

Gaza residents fled for shelter by any means available and rushed their wounded to hospitals as Israeli airstrikes pounded the Palestinian enclave in the early hours of Tuesday.

Images obtained by CNN showed a fireball light up the night sky, followed by several deep, echoing booms.

Ambulances and emergency vehicles rushed through darkened streets with sirens blaring.

At medical centers, workers rushed out to transfer the wounded onto stretchers. Others wounded were taken to hospital by horse-drawn carts.

Many of the wounded were covered with blankets, some of which appeared to be bloodstained. Others had bloodied bandages on their limbs.

In the panic, one of the horses skidded into a wooden structure, sending it tumbling and the group and their belongings sprawling over the road. A child was among those lifted from the huddle and carried away.

In one video a man is seen clutching an infant to his chest and running toward a lit-up building, his face contorted by fear.

Flames flickered from one damaged multi-story building as firefighters battled to douse the blaze.

Another clip showed several bodies laid out on a tiled floor, including a young child in a one-piece baby suit.

The Palestine Red Crescent said it had recorded 86 deaths and 134 injuries across Gaza early Tuesday as Israel’s carried out extensive strikes on the strip.

The Palestine Red Crescent said it had recorded 86 deaths and 134 injuries across Gaza early Tuesday as Israel carried out extensive strikes on the enclave.

That toll is higher than one released earlier Tuesday by Gaza’s Civil Defense, which said at least 66 people, including children, had been killed and dozens wounded.

At least 66 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a wave of Israeli strikes across Gaza, according to the enclave’s Civil Defense.

Gaza came under heavy attack early Tuesday as Israel carried out deadly strikes, which Israeli authorities said were targeting Hamas leaders.

Civil defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal earlier said at least five children were killed in the strikes and a number of people were trapped under rubble.

An Israeli official described Israel’s extensive attack in Gaza as “preemptive strikes,” but they declined to provide any details about what they claimed was Hamas’s “readiness to execute terror attacks, build up force and re-arm.”

“We cannot elaborate further, so as not to hand out information to the enemy,” the Israeli official said.

The official said the strikes targeted the Palestinian militant group’s “mid-ranking military commanders, leadership officials and terrorist infrastructure.”

The strikes will continue “as long as necessary and will expand beyond airstrikes,” the Israeli official said.

The operation is currently being overseen in Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv by the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) chief of staff, alongside the head of the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service.

This post has been updated to make clear these are claims from an Israeli official.

Israel notified the Trump administration ahead of its “extensive strikes” in Gaza, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

“All of the terrorists in the Middle East… Iranian-backed terror proxies and Iran themselves should take President Trump seriously when he says he’s not afraid to stand for law-abiding people.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the operation, accusing Hamas of “repeatedly” refusing to release hostages and rejecting all offers from US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and mediators.

Hamas official Basem Naim said more than 34 people had been killed by the strikes, and accused Israel of “ending the ceasefire agreement unilaterally.”

In a separate statement, Hamas declared:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the operation in Gaza, accusing Hamas of “repeatedly” refusing to release hostages and rejecting mediation offers.

Israel is conducting a wave of strikes across Gaza that have killed multiple people, throwing doubt on the fragile ceasefire as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to use “increasing military force” against Hamas.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Security Agency said early Tuesday they were “currently conducting extensive strikes” on Hamas targets in Gaza.

The Civil Defense in Gaza said a number people were “trapped under the rubble of homes that were bombed in various areas” of the enclave. Journalists working for CNN in Gaza reported the sounds of strikes in multiple locations.

In Gaza City, more than 15 people, including five children, were killed and more than 20 people inured, according to the civil defense’s spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal.

In central Gaza, more than 70 injured people have arrived at the Al-Awda Hospital following strikes on homes in Nuseirat refugee camp, the hospital said.