By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has defended his decision to launch a series of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip which Palestinian officials say killed at least 200 people, describing the action as a response to stalled ceasefire negotiations with Hamas.
The strikes, which began early Tuesday, marked Israel’s most intense assault on the enclave since a truce took effect in January. Israeli officials said the military operation was open-ended and expected to widen in the coming days.
Netanyahu’s office said the offensive was prompted by what it described as Hamas’s failure to engage meaningfully in talks to extend the ceasefire.
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” his office said in a statement.
The White House confirmed it had been consulted prior to the operation and expressed support for Israel’s actions.
The renewed bombardment shattered a brief period of relative calm during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and fuelled fears of a full-scale resumption of hostilities in the 17-month war, which has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and left large parts of Gaza in ruins.
In the southern city of Khan Younis, Associated Press journalists reported scenes of devastation, with plumes of smoke rising from bombed-out buildings and ambulances racing through the streets. At Nasser Hospital, wounded civilians crowded hallways and floors. A young boy sat with a bandage around his head, while a girl wept as medics tended to her bloody arm.
The fate of approximately two dozen Israeli hostages believed to still be held by Hamas has come under renewed scrutiny, with the group accusing Netanyahu of undermining the ceasefire and endangering the captives.
In a statement, Hamas held Israel “fully responsible for violating and overturning the agreement” and urged mediators to intervene.
The strikes follow growing frustration among Palestinians, many of whom had anticipated a return to war when a planned second phase of the ceasefire failed to materialise in early February. Instead, Israel pursued an alternative proposal and halted shipments of food, fuel and aid to Gaza’s 2 million residents in an attempt to pressure Hamas.
“Nobody wants to fight,” said Nidal Alzaanin, a Gaza City resident, speaking by phone to the Associated Press. “Everyone is still suffering from the previous months,” he added.