Israel's military on Tuesday launched the deadliest strikes on the Gaza strip since the agreement of its ceasefire with Hamas, killing hundreds of people and threatening to compromise the increasingly fragile truce.
The Israeli military said it was "conducting extensive strikes" against Hamas throughout the Gaza Strip, with the aim of “the release of all our hostages — living and dead,” the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
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WATCH HERE“From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military force,” it said.
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza released a preliminary death toll, saying hospitals across the enclave had received the bodies of at least 326 people killed, with hundreds of others injured. It said a number of people were still buried under the rubble, with efforts underway to recover them.
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Video captured by NBC News' crew on the ground in southern Gaza's Khan Younis showed scenes of people being rushed to Nasser Hospital, while bloodied bodies could be seen being laid down on the floor and on metal stretchers, including those of young children.
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said early Tuesday that dozens of people had been killed and wounded, following attacks on homes.
“Our crews are unable to deal with the attacks due to limited resources and the dangerous situation,” Basal said. “We call on the world to stop this aggression.”
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The strikes were the heaviest Israeli military bombardment in Gaza since the ceasefire deal was reached in January and brought a pause to fighting that followed the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, when more than 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.
Since then, more than 48,500 people have been killed in Gaza, with much of the infrastructure across the enclave destroyed.
Hamas said the strikes violated the agreement.
“Netanyahu and his extremist government have decided to overturn the ceasefire agreement and are exposing the prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate,” it said in a statement.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News that Israel consulted the Trump administration and the White House about the strikes.
The latest Israeli military action follows separate Israeli strikes that, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, killed at least 14 people in 24 hours over the weekend. The ministry reported the deaths in a statement Sunday.
The IDF said Saturday that it had identified two Hamas operatives “operating a drone that posed a threat to IDF troops” and saw others collecting drone-operating equipment.
Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal in January, but since then, there have been accusations of breaches by both sides.
The first phase of the deal — which included the release of hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 — expired this month. The second phase, designed to release male hostages, is intended to initiate talks for a long-term end to the war.
Netanyahu’s office said in Tuesday’s statement that he and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz instructed the military “to act forcefully against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.”
"This, after Hamas repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all offers it received from the US presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from the mediators," Netanyahu's office said.
International negotiators have been engaging in talks in hope of strengthening the ceasefire deal.
Witkoff, the special U.S. envoy to the Middle East, dismissed a proposal response by Hamas on CNN on Sunday.
“The Hamas proposal is a nonstarter,” he said on “State of the Union.” Witkoff said the United States favored a "bridge" proposal that would include the release of five living hostages in return for the release of a “substantial” number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The status of the ceasefire agreement in the 17-month-old war remained unclear.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said on X that the U.N. Security Council will meet Tuesday and that Israel would "make it very clear" to the council that it needs to ensure the return of Israeli hostages if it wants to end the war.
“Israel will not stop until all of our hostages are back home," Danon said.
This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:
