March 18 (UPI) -- Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza on Tuesday, killing hundreds of Palestinians as Israel ended the fragile U.S.-backed cease-fire with Hamas.
The resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 404 Palestinians and injured more than 560, according to an update from the Gazan Ministry of Health on WhatsApp, though the casualty toll is expected to climb as it warned, "A number of victims are still under the rubble, and efforts are underway to recover them."
The ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians.
Israel began the bombardment early Tuesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announcing in a joint statement that they had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to "take strong action" against Hamas in Gaza.
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Following the overnight bombing, the IDF issued evacuations for areas around the border of Gaza and Israel, labeling the band of land "dangerous combat zones."
"For your own safety, you must evacuate immediately to the known shelters in western Gaza City and those in Khan Yunis," Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF's Arabic-language spokesman, said in a statement.
The strikes mark the first major attack in Gaza since mid-January when Israel and Hamas came to a fragile armistice that included rounds of exchanges of detainees held by Israel for hostages held by Hamas.
Disagreements over an extension to the armistice early this month put the cease-fire in jeopardy. Israel responded by prohibiting all aid to Gaza.
The Israeli leaders on Tuesday described the stalemate as "Hamas' repeated refusal to release our hostages" as well as a rejection of a cease-fire proposal from the United States.
They said the operation had been presented by IDF over the weekend to Israeli politicians, who gave it their approval.
On Tuesday evening, Netanyahu formally announced that the cease-fire was dead and Israel would resume targeting Hamas in Gaza.
"I want to assure all our friends around the world, Israel will fight and Israel will win. We will bring our people home and we will destroy Hamas," he said in a recorded statement.
"We will not relent until we achieve all these vital goals and we will not rest until we give our country a figure of peace, prosperity and hope."
The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, with Hamas' brutal attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people. Another 251 were taken hostage, of whom 59 are still believed to be in Gaza. Some of them are believed to be dead.
Families of hostages responded to the resumption in fighting with worry over the future of those who may still be alive.
"We heard from survivors who returned from hell, and the message was clear: We must immediately return to a cease-fire," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement online.
"The lives of our loved ones hang by a thread and cannot endure much longer. After surviving months in captivity against all odds, they are now in critical danger. Only a deal can bring back all the hostages.
A protest was held early Tuesday in Jerusalem's Yaka Square and in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square Tuesday night, where captivity survivors spoke to those assembled.
"Today, the cease-fire has collapsed," said Keith Siegel, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who was held hostage by Hamas for nearly 500 days and released early last month.
"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."
"Every effort must be made to prevent further loss of innocent life and to ensure that diplomacy continues," he added. "This war must end, and all hostages must be returned to their families. It is not too late to save those still alive, and for the families of those who were murdered deserve the right to grieve."
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Palestinian Authority accused Israel of violating its obligations under the armistice.
"The ministry considers the continued aggression against our people and the shedding of the blood of children, women and defenseless civilians to be an official Israeli evasion of the obligations of consolidating the cessation of the war of genocide," it said.
U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said in a statement that he was "horrified" by the strikes.
"This nightmare must end immediately," Turk said. "The hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. All those arbitrarily detained must be released immediately and unconditionally. The war must end permanently. We urge all parties with influence to do all in their power to achieve peace and avoid further suffering of civilians."
Oxfam's humanitarian coordinator in Gaza, Clemence Lagouardat, also condemned the attack and called for "all parties" to work to restore a "permanent and sustainable cease-fire."
"It is indefensible that Israel has breached the cease-fire agreement by carrying out airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, killing over 300 people and injuring hundreds," Lagouardat said. "The ongoing targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure cannot be justified under any circumstances."
