Israel pounds Hamas in Gaza strikes that rescuers say killed 121

Israel on Tuesday unleashed its most intense campaign on the Gaza Strip since a January ceasefire, with rescuers reporting more than 121 people killed, prompting Hamas to accuse Benjamin Netanyahu's government of torpedoing the truce.

The strikes were ordered after "Hamas's repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

An Israeli official told AFP that the operation "will continue as long as necessary, and will expand beyond air strikes".

In a statement, Hamas said "Netanyahu and his extremist government have decided to overturn the ceasefire agreement, exposing the prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate".

Mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, the initial phase of the ceasefire took effect on January 19, largely halting more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza triggered by Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

That first phase ended in early March, and while both sides have since refrained from all-out war, they have been unable to agree on the next steps for truce talks.

In a post on Telegram in the early hours of Tuesday, the Israeli army said it was currently "conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip".

Gaza's civil defence agency reported more than 121 people had been killed "most of them children, women, and the elderly". At least 150 people were also wounded by the "aggression, aerial bombardment and artillery shelling".

Israel ordered all schools close to the regions neighbouring Gaza shut, as the government in a statement said it would now act with "increased military force" against Hamas.

Witkoff told CNN on Sunday he had offered a "bridge proposal" that would see five living hostages, including Israeli-American Edan Alexander, released in return for freeing a "substantial amount of Palestinian prisoners" from Israel jails.

Hamas on Friday had said it was ready to free Alexander and the remains of four others, who an official of the movement described as Israeli-Americans.

Witkoff said Hamas had provided "an unacceptable response" to the proposal and "the opportunity is closing fast."

- Deadlock -

During the first phase of the truce agreement, Hamas released 33 hostages, including eight deceased, and Israel freed around 1,800 Palestinian detainees.

Since then, Hamas has consistently demanded negotiations for the second phase.

Former US president Joe Biden had outlined a second phase involving the release of remaining living hostages, the withdrawal of all Israeli forces left in Gaza and the establishment of a lasting ceasefire.

Israel, however, seeks to extend the first phase until mid-April, insisting that any transition to the second phase must include "the total demilitarisation" of Gaza and the removal of Hamas, which has controlled the territory since 2007.

The talks are now at an impasse, with both sides sticking to their positions and accusing each other of obstructing progress.

Israel has cut aid and electricity to the territory during the talks deadlock.

"It's so hard for me to think about what they're (hostages) going through right now because I know that feeling," freed Israeli captive Omer Shem Tov said in a recently released video.

"It's a terrible feeling and it has to stop as soon as possible."

Hamas' October 7 attack resulted in 1,218 deaths on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, while Israel's retaliatory response in Gaza has killed at least 48,572 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from both sides.

AFP