Israel Launches 'Extensive Strikes' In Gaza As Ceasefire Deadlock Breaks, 200 Killed

At least nine people were killed and several others injured in Israeli airstrikes in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza.

At least nine people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza's Beit Lahia.

Source : X

Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza on Tuesday, killing at least 200 Palestinians, said the enclave's health ministry in what is said to be the deadliest incident since a ceasefire came into effect in January. 

The Israeli military said it is carrying out "extensive strikes" in the Gaza Strip, which has killed at least 200 people and the death toll continues to rise, the spokesperson of Gaza’s health ministry, Khalil Al-Deqran, told Reuters.

A British-based charity said among those killed in the airstrikes were aid workers while other NGOs threatened to pause humanitarian efforts in the beseiged strip.

Meanwhile, Hamas called the strikes a "blatant violation" of the truce, reported CNN. 

UK-registered NGO Al-Khair Foundation said that a team of eight charity workers were killed in the strike. In a statement on Facebook, the charity's founder Qasim Rashid Ahmad said it was a "very sad day" for the foundation and for aid workers around the world. 

The aid workers had been carrying out humanitarian work when they came under attack, Ahmad said denying the allegation they were involved in terror. 

Horrific Massacre: Hamas 

The Palestinian militant group accused the Israeli military of committing "a horrific massacre in Beit Lahia, claiming the lives of nine martyrs working for a charity engaged in humanitarian efforts at shelters and displacement centres.”

“The targeting of unarmed civilians, especially those providing humanitarian aid to displaced and homeless individuals, constitutes a blatant violation of international and humanitarian law,” Ismail Thawabta, Director General of Hamas’ Government Media Office, added.

Operating Drone That Posed Threat: Israel 

Meanwhile, Israel Defence Forces said that six "terrorists" had been killed in the area of Beit Lahia as they were "operating a drone that posed a threat to IDF troops." 

“A number of terrorists were eliminated in the strike, including terrorists who operated under the cover of journalists,” it said in a statement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the strikes on Tuesday morning, according to a statement from the PM's office.

"This follows 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," the statement read.

"Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength," it added.