A woman sits on the rubble of her home, destroyed in an Israeli strike, at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on March 18, 2025. (Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP)
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 413 people in Gaza, in the deadliest attack since the cease-fire came into effect on Jan. 19, Gaza's Health Ministry announced Tuesday morning. Hamas accused Israel of attempting to overturn the truce.
The Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency announced early Tuesday that they were carrying out "widespread strikes" against Hamas in Gaza as negotiations for a second phase of the cease-fire remain stalled. Gaza’s Civil Defense initially reported at least 220 killed, "mostly children, women, and elderly people," before the Health Ministry twice revised the toll upward to 413.
Among those killed was Hamas’ interim prime minister in Gaza, Essam al-Dalis, the group confirmed in a statement. The attack also killed Deputy Interior Minister Gen. Mahmoud Abu Watfa and Gen. Bahjat Abu Sultan, head of Hamas’ internal security service.
Hamas response
In response to the strikes, Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his "extremist government" of reneging on commitments and sabotaging the cease-fire agreement, exposing hostages held in Gaza to an "uncertain fate."
However, a Hamas official said the group’s political wing was working with international mediators to "curb Israel’s aggression." Hamas also urged the U.N. Security Council to convene an emergency session and pass a resolution compelling Israel to "halt the aggression" and withdraw from Gaza entirely.
Evacuation orders
Around 9 a.m. local time, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee warned residents of several border areas — Beit Hanoun, Khirbet Khuza’a, Abasan al-Kabira, and al-Jadida — to evacuate in anticipation of further operations.
"These areas are considered dangerous combat zones (…) For your safety, you must immediately evacuate to known shelters west of Gaza City and Khan Younis," he said.
Israeli airstrikes continued Tuesday morning, including a drone strike on a car in Abasan, east of Khan Younis, that killed at least six people who were all members of the same family, according to Al Jazeera correspondents.
Netanyahu’s office said he and Defense Minister Israel Katz had ordered the military to "act forcefully" against Hamas, citing the group’s "repeated refusal" to release hostages and its rejection of all proposals put forward by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and other mediators.
"The Israeli army is currently targeting Hamas positions across Gaza to achieve the war’s objectives, including the release of all our hostages — whether alive or not," the statement read. "In coordination with the political leadership, the IDF and Shin Bet are conducting extensive strikes on terrorist targets belonging to Hamas."
An Israeli official, speaking anonymously to AFP, said the "preventive" strikes targeted "mid-level commanders, Hamas leadership figures, and terrorist infrastructure" to prevent the group from rebuilding and rearming. The offensive will continue "as long as necessary" and will extend beyond airstrikes, the official said.
Families of hostages react
The Forum of Hostages’ Families, Israel’s largest group representing relatives of hostages, urged Netanyahu on Tuesday to "stop killing" their loved ones after the latest wave of heavy Israeli strikes on Gaza.
"The families demand a meeting this morning with the prime minister, the defense minister [Israel Katz], and the head negotiator to clarify how they plan to protect the hostages from military pressure and secure their return," the group said in a statement, concluding: "Stop killing them (…) now!"
U.S. was notified in advance
Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported on X that Israeli officials had informed the Trump administration in advance about the planned strikes and their objectives. The White House later confirmed the information.
"The Trump administration and the White House were consulted by the Israelis regarding their attacks in Gaza tonight," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
"As President Trump has made clear, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, and anyone seeking to terrorize not just Israel but also the United States will pay the price. Hell will break loose," she added, echoing Trump’s earlier public warnings that Hamas must release all hostages or "face hell breaking loose."
Houthis vow escalation
Yemen’s Houthi rebels condemned the deadly Israeli airstrikes and vowed to "continue escalating" their actions after recently threatening Israeli ships in the Red Sea.
"We condemn the resumption of Zionist aggression against Gaza," the group’s Supreme Political Council said, pledging continued support for the Palestinians and an "intensified confrontation."
Cease-fire talks stalled
Despite the strikes, Israel had sent negotiators to Egypt on Sunday for discussions with Egyptian mediators about releasing hostages. The cease-fire agreement — brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S. — took effect on Jan. 19, following 15 months of war in Gaza.
During the first phase of the truce, which ended on March 1, Hamas released 33 hostages, including the remains of eight who were dead, while Israel freed about 1,800 Palestinian detainees. However, talks have since stalled.
Hamas wants negotiations to move to the second phase, which the initial agreement stipulates would lead to a permanent cease-fire, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, reopening of border crossings for aid, and releasing the remaining hostages. Israel, however, wants to extend the first phase until mid-April and insists that progress to phase two requires "complete demilitarization" of Gaza and Hamas' removal.
Since then, Israel has imposed a total blockade of humanitarian aid from entering the territory, putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk of starvation, according to U.N. statements. Last week, Energy Minister Eli Cohen signed a government decree to cut off Israeli electricity to Gaza, which is mainly used to power a wastewater treatment plant.
The decision was immediately condemned by the international community, as U.N. Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese warned against its consequences: “No desalination plant operational, hence no drinking water.”
On Tuesday morning, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered that the Rafah crossing, which connects Gaza to Egypt, remain closed to patients seeking medical treatment abroad as part of "pressure tactics against Hamas," according to Israeli media.
Israel's war on Gaza killed at least 48,572 people — mostly civilians — according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Gaza government’s media office estimated in January that the death toll exceeded 61,000, including more than 11,000 people presumed dead under the rubble.