The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed early Tuesday morning after roughly two months, as 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 Israeli hostages.

At least 404 Palestinians were killed, including children, according to unverified figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants. It said another 562 were wounded.

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.

Netanyahu’s office said the decision to resume strikes shortly after midnight “followed Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US special envoy to the Mideast Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators.”

Hamas has insisted on sticking to the original terms of the deal, which was supposed to enter its second phase at the beginning of the month. That phase envisioned Israel fully withdrawing from Gaza and agreeing to permanently end the war in exchange for the release of the remaining living hostages. While Israel signed on to the deal, Netanyahu has long insisted that Israel will not end the war until Hamas’s governing and military capabilities have been destroyed.

Accordingly, Israel refused to even hold talks regarding the terms of phase two, which were supposed to begin on February 3.

Nonetheless, the ceasefire remained in place for roughly two and a half weeks after the conclusion of the first phase, as mediators worked to broker new terms for the truce’s extension.

Accepting Israel’s aversion to phase two, Witkoff presented a bridge proposal last week that would have seen phase one extended for several weeks during which five living hostages would be released. The US envoy said Sunday that Hamas’s response to the offer was a “nonstarter” and warned of impending consequences if the terror group did not change its approach.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Israel had consulted with the Trump administration before conducting the strikes.

“As President Trump has made it clear: Hamas, the Houthis, Iran — all those who seek to terrorize, not just Israel, but the United States of America — will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,” she said.

“Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes separately told The Times of Israel.

US President Donald Trump was integral in securing the ceasefire, with Witkoff leaning hard on Netanyahu to accept the hostage deal in January after months of deadlock under the previous Biden administration. Trump has campaigned on ending........

© The Times of Israel