Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed at least 200 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, as attacks targeted multiple locations early on Tuesday following the collapse of efforts to extend the ceasefire that halted fighting in January.

Strikes were reported in northern Gaza, Gaza City, and the Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah areas in the central and southern Gaza Strip. Palestinian health ministry officials said many of those killed were children.

The Israeli military said it had struck dozens of targets and warned that the operation would continue as long as necessary, suggesting that ground troops could also be deployed. The scale of the attacks was significantly larger than the series of drone strikes Israel had previously carried out against suspected militants.

Hospitals, already overwhelmed by 15 months of bombardment, struggled to handle the casualties. Bodies wrapped in white plastic sheets were seen stacked in medical facilities, while the Palestinian Red Crescent reported dealing with 86 dead and 134 wounded. Some victims were brought to hospitals by private vehicles.

Officials from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, and Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza City— all extensively damaged in the conflict— said they had received around 85 bodies. Authorities also reported that 16 members of a single family were killed in Rafah, in southern Gaza. A spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry confirmed that the overall death toll had reached at least 200.

Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement, leaving the fate of 59 hostages still held in Gaza uncertain.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office blamed Hamas for the breakdown of negotiations, accusing the group of “repeated refusal to release our hostages” and rejecting proposals from US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.

“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

In Washington, a White House spokesperson said Israel had consulted the US administration before launching the strikes, which targeted mid-level Hamas commanders, leadership figures, and militant infrastructure.

“Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war,” White House spokesperson Brian Hughes said.

Faridah Abdulkadiri

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