Benjamin Netanyahu says airstrikes that killed 400 across Gaza are 'just the beginning' as Israeli PM vows to target Hamas 'with greater intensity'
A Palestinian source who lives in central Gaza told Sky News' US correspondent Mark Stone the strikes were "not a surprise". Many of the dead were children, according to Palestinian health ministry officials.
Tuesday 18 March 2025 20:25, UK
Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel's overnight airstrikes on Gaza are "just the beginning", despite the United Nations condemning them as "horrifying".
At least 413 people were killed and a further 562 were injured in the attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The airstrikes put an end to a fragile ceasefire between Hamas, the militant group ruling Gaza, and Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Mr Netanyahu said the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had "gone back to fighting with great might" after Hamas failed to release the remaining hostages it is holding following its attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
promised "growing action against Hamas with greater intensity" and reaffirmed his intention to carry on fighting until all hostages are released and Hamas is destroyed.
The IDF has issued evacuation orders for a number of areas in Gaza, after the ceasefire had allowed for hundreds of thousands of displaced people to return to their homes across the enclave.
Many of the dead in the latest strikes were children, according to Palestinian health ministry officials.
The Hamas-run government media office called the attacks a "blatant violation of all international and humanitarian conventions".
In a speech at the United Nations, the Palestinian ambassador, Riyad Mansour, said "we want peace", adding that the choice facing member states was "crystal clear".
He urged the General Assembly to "act with us to make peace... make war not acceptable... and [for] ceasefire to prevail".
Brett Jonathan Miller, Israel's deputy permanent representative at the UN, said a return to fighting was "a necessity".
The UK's ambassador to Israel, Simon Walters, said on X that Israel's attacks will neither help defeat Hamas nor bring hostages home and will only cause "more death".
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There are 59 Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas - 24 of whom are still believed to be alive.
For their release, Hamas wanted the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and an end to hostilities as part of the second phase of the deal.
Hamas, the militant group running Gaza and whose massacre of 1,200 people in southern Israel 17 months ago sparked Israel's bombing of the enclave, has claimed it is "working with mediators to curb the aggression" seen on Tuesday.
'Tragedy on to tragedy'
More than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's retaliatory campaign since October 2023, Gazan health officials say. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count but said more than half of the fatalities were women and children.
UN High Commissioner Volker Turk said: "I am horrified by last night's Israeli airstrikes and shelling in Gaza.
"This will add tragedy on to tragedy."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News the Trump administration was consulted by Israel about the airstrikes.
Analysis: Israel is following through on its threat
The waves of airstrikes and tank fire throughout the night came as a surprise and brought an end to a ceasefire that lasted almost two months.
Only a small circle of IDF military commanders were aware of the plans, so Hamas had no forewarning. Neither did the civilians of Gaza, who have started to slowly rebuild what they can of their lives following the devastating war.
The IDF says it is targeting mid-ranking Hamas officials, although I've also seen pictures of dead and wounded children amongst the casualties.
Talks to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages had been ongoing in recent days, but Hamas and Israel couldn't agree on the format of a continued truce.
Israel had already cut off humanitarian deliveries into Gaza and threatened a resumption of the war if Hamas didn't change its position - they are now following through on that threat.
Israeli intelligence will have spent the last seven weeks of ceasefire gathering information of living Hamas commanders - these airstrikes will be an attempt to take them out and put pressure on Hamas to agree the ceasefire deal that Israel, and Washington, wants.
If they don't, the IDF has already drawn up plans for an extensive campaign, and ground operations will follow. They have the White House's backing.
'Extensive' strikes
The IDF and Israel Security Agency Shin Bet said the "extensive" strikes were aimed at "terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip".
A Palestinian source, who lives in central Gaza, told Sky News' US correspondent Mark Stone "we were sure that this war wouldn't end" and added: "I wish they (Israel) would open the Rafah border crossing (into Egypt). I wish to leave. I cannot take it anymore."
It comes two months after a three-phase ceasefire deal was agreed by Hamas and Israel to pause the war.
Over the six-week first phase, Hamas released 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza and five Thai nationals, in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
But since the first phase officially concluded, both Israel and Hamas have failed to agree on how to progress with the second phase - which would see the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.
'A death sentence'
Izzat al Risheq, a senior Hamas official, said Mr Netanyahu's decision to return to war amounts to a "death sentence" for the remaining hostages.
Mr Netanyahu faces mounting pressure at home over his handling of the hostage crisis.
Furthermore, his latest appearance at a long-running corruption trial was cancelled after the strikes, which resumed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
US Middle East envoy Mr Witkoff had proposed extending the first phase of the ceasefire through to the end of Ramadan and Passover or until 20 April, which Hamas rejected.
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At the start of March, Israel said it stopped all goods and supplies to Gaza after claiming Hamas was refusing to "accept the Witkoff outline for continuing the talks, which Israel agreed to".
Five days later, Israel said it had cut off the electricity supply to Gaza.