Over 400 killed in Gaza as Israel breaks ceasefire agreement | Top 10 points

📌 Israel Foreign Minister says military operation will continue
Israel Foreign Minister said its not a one-day attack and military operation will continue in the coming days. Further, the Minister said the initial decision to attack was made days ago and they are doing the utmost to avoid harm to civilians.

📌 Negotiations turned fruitless leaving a trail of trail of destruction

Just after schools reopened, shellings pounded the ground early morning on Tuesday leaving a trail of destruction during the holy month of Ramadan. Classes have since been suspended in dozens of Gaza schools after the airstrikes. Photos from the war-ravaged areas show widespread devastation and children among victims.

📌 What did Benjamin Netanyahu say?

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in talks to extend the ceasefire. Officials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand. Netanyahu was quoted as saying by The New York Times: “From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military strength.”

📌 Israel consulted White House before the attacks

The White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel’s action ahead of the airstrikes. The United States recently conducted a wave of strikes on the Houthi militant group in Yemen – which had fired missiles and drones at Israel for more than a year during the war.

📌 Hamas yet to respond militarily

Hamas has not responded militarily to the attacks. They accused Israel of deciding to “overturn the ceasefire agreement, exposing the prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate”, referring to the remaining hostages, according to NYT.

📌 Itamar Ben-Gvir’s party returns to Netanyahu government

The surprise attack after a period of calm has led to a political development in Israel with the return of far-right Itamar Ben-Gvir’s party to Netanyahu’s government. The party had quit the coalition after Netanyahu agreed to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in January and the return is likely to strengthen Netanyahu’s alliance.

📌 Rafah border closed

The border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip is closed, a spokesperson for the European Commission told Associated Press. “The crossing point is closed and the EUBAM mission of the European Union has started to put in place emergency procedures to deal with the situation as it develops,” the spokesperson said. Rafah border is crucial for people in Gaza as humanitarian aid and supplies are transported through the border crossing.

📌 Egypt and Turkey lashes out at Israel

Turkey has accused Israel of “genocide” and called on the international community to take a “decisive stance” against Israel to ensure a permanent ceasefire and deliver of humanitarian aid in Gaza. “The aggression displayed by the Israeli government threatens the future of the region,” a statement from the country reads.

Egypt, a key mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks, criticised Israel terming the attack a “flagrant violation of the ceasefire deal.” In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said it rejects “all Israeli attacks which aim to … make ongoing efforts to de-escalate and regain stability fail.”

It called for the international community to “to immediately intervene to stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.” It also urged the parties to “exercise restraint” and give mediators a space to “complete their efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire.”

📌 Nightmare must end immediately, says UN human rights chief

The UN human rights chief said he was “horrified” by the latest attack. Volker Turk was quoted as saying by AP that the last 18 months of fighting between Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas, and Israeli forces have shown that “the only way forward is a political settlement” and a “military path” offers no way out of the crisis. He reiterated his calls for hostages held by Hamas and people held arbitrarily to be released “immediately and unconditionally.”

“This nightmare must end immediately,” he added in a statement.

Bodies of more than three dozen prisoners and guards were taken to Shifa hospital. The police force of the Hamas-run government have returned to the streets as airstrikes imploded the streets early morning.

📌 UN staffer recounts horror

Rosalia Bollen, a communications specialist with UNICEF recounted the horror. Narrating the ordeal, Bollen told AP she woke up around 2 am on Tuesday to “very loud explosions.” She said the UNICEF bass near Rafah “was shaking very heavily.” When the strikes subsided, she heard “people yelling, people screaming and ambulances.”

“The whole night, there’s been just the constant buzzing of drones and planes flying over,” she said adding that the strikes hit tents and structures housing displaced families. “We’re seeing, as of this morning, at least several dozen children killed,” she added.

With inputs from AP, New York Times, Reuters