European leaders and diplomats expressed concern Tuesday over the renewed Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, following the most intense Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since a fragile ceasefire took effect in January.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Israel Defense Forces launched dozens of strikes throughout Gaza under orders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who cited the terror group’s “repeated refusal” to release the 59 hostages still held in the Palestinian enclave.

More than 400 Palestinians were killed in the shock return to fighting, including children, according to unverified numbers from the Hamas-run health ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants. More than 560 others were said to have been injured.

The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency said on Tuesday afternoon the strikes during the day had targeted cells of terror operatives, rocket-launching positions, weapons, and other military infrastructure. Hamas acknowledged that several of its senior members were among the dead.

In Berlin, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that “the end of the ceasefire in Gaza due to heavy Israeli attacks is cause for great concern,” adding that she was planning a trip to Lebanon on Wednesday.

“The images of burning tents in refugee camps are shocking. Fleeing children and internally displaced persons must never be used as leverage in negotiations.”

Baerbock stressed that “international law includes the principle of proportionality even in self-defense.”

“With the resumption of fighting, the fate of the remaining hostages but also the future of the people in Israel, Gaza and the entire Middle East now again hangs on an extremely thin silk thread,” she said.

Germany’s top diplomat said she........

© The Times of Israel