DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel launched new strikes against Hamas, killing at least 44 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and promised “increasing military force” after talks on further hostage releases stalled, Israel’s Office of the Prime Minister said Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement its military is “currently attacking targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip, with the aim of achieving the war goals as determined by the political echelon, including the release of all our hostages – living and dead.”
“From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military force,” the prime minister’s office said.
The statement said Israel was resuming military strikes because of Hamas’ repeated refusals to release its hostages and its rejection of all offers it received from the U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and mediators.
“If Hamas does not release all the kidnapped, the gates of hell will open in Gaza and Hamas’ murderers and rapists will meet the IDF with forces they have never known before,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said. “We will not stop fighting until all the kidnapped return home and all the war’s goals are achieved.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday evening that the Trump administration was consulted by the Israelis on their attacks in Gaza.
The strikes come after nearly two months of a ceasefire to pause the 17-month-long war where dozens of hostages were released for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The first phase of the ceasefire ended March 1 but the pause in major fighting held until Monday.
Earlier in the month, Israel cut off aid into Gaza, stopping the entry of all goods and supplies into the Palestinian territory. Israel said the aid blockade was aimed at pressuring Hamas to accept a proposal drafted by the Trump administration to extend the first phase of the ceasefire. Under the proposal, Israel had demanded Hamas immediately hand over half of the remaining hostages held in Gaza, which would have been a significant change in the terms initially agreed to under the deal brokered by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt.
On Friday, Hamas said it had accepted a proposal from mediators to release one living American-Israeli hostage and the bodies of four dual-nationals who had died in captivity. Netanyahu’s office cast doubt on the offer last week, accusing the U.S. and Israeli-designated terrorist group of trying to manipulate talks underway in Qatar on the next stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
In a separate Friday statement, Hamas official Husam Badran reaffirmed what he said was Hamas’ commitment to fully implementing the ceasefire agreement in all its phases, warning that any Israeli deviation from the terms would return negotiations to square one.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
