Israel-Hamas war: More than 400 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan denounced Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza today, branding the country a "terrorist state" feeding on the “blood, lives and tears of innocent” people.

Erdoğan made the remarks at an iftar, or fast-breaking meal during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, in Ankara.

A vocal critic of Israel's actions in Gaza, he accused the country of committing genocide and voiced his solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Hamas is calling for solidarity marches and sieges of Israeli and American embassies around the world in response to Israel's offensive in Gaza with support from the United States.

In a statement released today, Hamas called out Israel's "reversal of the ceasefire agreement," especially during the sacred Islamic month of Ramadan, when Muslims observe a fast from sunrise to sunset.

"Let us unite all efforts at the Arab, Islamic, and international levels, and be one voice against the aggression of the Zionist occupation and the war of genocide it is waging against more than two million Palestinians," it said in the statement.

Relatives and supporters of hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, urged Israel’s government to stop the recent airstrikes that have killed hundreds of people in Gaza and made the release of more hostages less likely.

Noam Peri, whose father, Chaim Peri, died in Hamas captivity, begged Trump to get involved in securing a return to the deal.

"You have already shown and played a key role in returning so many hostages to their families," she said. "Please, we're begging you, the hostages cannot wait any longer. We must return to a ceasefire, resume negotiation and bring them home before it's too late for others."

Netanyahu said at a news briefing this evening after Israel’s overnight offensive in Gaza that the country has “gone back to fighting with great might.”

"I want to promise to you and to Hamas that this is just the beginning," he said.

Netanyahu said the offensive is a result of Hamas' not accepting proposals as part of the ceasefire agreement with Israel and not returning the remaining hostages. The goal, he said, is to "destroy Hamas and make sure Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel."

Netanyahu denied allegations that Israel launched the offensive with "political intentions," adding that it did so to protect the country and guarantee the hostages' release.

"We are winning this war, but the campaign is long from over," he said.

Dozens of bodies were taken to the European Hospital in Khan Younis after Israel launched a series of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip.

"There was no warning; there was nothing," a man told an NBC News crew in Gaza. "They were sleeping, peaceful people, sleeping in their homes. Children — now in pieces, we can't identify them because they were torn to pieces."

One woman lost 12 relatives.

"There were 12 people sleeping in my house, my loves," she said, crying. "What did they do? God is sufficient for me, and he is the best disposer of affairs."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar reaffirmed the IDF's statement that the country's overnight offensive in Gaza "is not a one-day operation."

"We will continue the military course over the coming days," Sa’ar said in a statement today. "As always, it is important to make it clear that we are doing our best to minimize harm to civilians."

Israel's offensive in Gaza has already killed over 400 Palestinians, including women and children, and injured hundreds more, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

Sa'ar said the decision to launch the offensive was made "several days ago."

"The Americans knew before the attack and supported us — because justice was with us," he said.

A missile that the IDF said was launched at Israel from Yemen has been intercepted, according to the army.

Sirens sounded in parts of the Negev area in southern Israel, the IDF said. The missile was intercepted before it crossed the border.

The official spokesman for Palestinian Islamic Jihad, identified as Abu Hamza, was killed in an Israeli airstrike, the al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, said in a statement.

"We pledge to God Almighty, and then to our people and our nation, to continue the path of resistance," Palestinian Islamic Jihad said in the statement.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called for an end to the violence and an immediate ceasefire to secure the release of all remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Ayelet Svatitzky — sister of Nadav Popplewell, who died in Hamas captivity — said that while it's too late for her brother, it's not too late for others.

"It was too late for so many families whose loved ones were murdered in captivity," Svatitzky said in a statement shared by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. "But for other hostages—it is NOT too late. THEIR LIVES CAN STILL BE SAVED."

The group says 59 hostages remain in Gaza.

During a United Nations Security Council meeting today, U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea said that "the blame for the resumption of hostilities lies solely with Hamas."

Shea said Hamas has "steadfastly refused" proposals they have received for a continuation of the ceasefire between the group and Israel, including "a bridge proposal to extend the ceasefire beyond Ramadan and Passover to allow time to negotiate a framework for a permanent ceasefire."

"Hamas refused this offer, preferring still to hold hostages captive and hide amongst the people of Gaza, using them as human shields," she said. "It is the people of Gaza who will suffer further because of Hamas’ disregard for human life."

Shea also said that the U.S. supports Israel "in its next steps," which she says are aimed at Hamas positions.

"It is well known that Hamas continues to use civilian infrastructure as launching pads, and the United States condemns this practice, as should others," she said. "President Trump has made clear that Hamas must release the hostages immediately or pay a high price."

The airstrikes Israel launched on Gaza overnight were the deadliest since the agreement of a ceasefire with Hamas. At least 400 Palestinians were killed in the strikes, including women and children, and hundreds more were injured.

Tents in Gaza's Al-Mawasi refugee camp lay charred and in ruins after Israel launched airstrikes on the enclave overnight.

Miscellaneous debris, including pieces of wood and food, covered the ground where those already displaced had lived.

"The situation is indescribable for children — the noise, the screams, and there are martyrs," one resident told NBC News. "It's a catastrophic situation."

Another resident of the camp said he was awakened by a strike in the middle of the night that caused a wooden plank and stones to fall on him and his three children.

"My three children were sleeping here," he pointed to part of his makeshift home, which is no longer there. "I got them out of the fire."

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement today that its overnight strikes targeting Hamas commanders and officials in Gaza are "preemptive," "will continue as long as necessary, and will expand beyond air strikes."

"The IDF is currently striking dozens of targets, based on Hamas readiness to execute terror attacks, build up force and re-arm," the IDF said in the statement.

Israel said it kept the offensive "in closed circles" in order "to create an element of surprise and deception."

"We cannot elaborate further, so as not to hand out information to the enemy," the IDF said.

France condemned the overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza and the civilian casualties they caused in a statement issued today.

"France calls for an immediate halt to hostilities, which are compromising efforts to free hostages and threaten the lives of Gaza’s civilian population," the French Foreign Ministry said in the statement. "All parties must return to respecting the ceasefire in its entirety, and engage in good-faith negotiations to make it permanent."

The nation also called on Israel to ensure the protection of civilians in Gaza, restore their access to water and electricity and stop blocking humanitarian aid from entering the enclave.

Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, has said it is "appalled and outraged," by Israel's deadly strikes across Gaza today.

“We woke up, at around 2 a.m. local time, to 20 minutes of airstrikes and heavy artillery — just like the past 15 months of war," Claire Nicolet, MSF head of emergencies, said in a statement posted on X by the organization. "We are appalled and outraged by these new unacceptable massacres of civilians."

MSF said its teams were responding to "influxes of patients" in southern and central Gaza, with the organization saying it had received at least 55 people killed and 113 injured at Nasser Hospital, with another 20 dead and 68 injured arriving at Al-Aqsa Hospital.

Meanwhile, in Deir al-Balah, the organization said one of its field hospitals had received at least 10 injured patients, while its clinic in Al-Mawasi received at least 26 injured patients. The clinic itself was also struck with shrapnel during the offensive, MSF said.

"MSF continues to call for a sustained ceasefire in Gaza," the organization said. "People simply cannot afford such violence and devastation to start again. Israel must end its collective punishment of people. Aid and basic goods must be allowed in."

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani condemned what he described as Israel's "brutal bombardment of Gaza" this morning, calling it a "heinous crime" carried out "without any sense of responsibility."

Reiterating Qatar's "steadfast position" in support of Palestinians, Al Thani called for "immediate and decisive international action to compel Israel to implement an immediate ceasefire, abide by the agreement, and return to negotiations" in a post on X.

He further condemned Israel's recent decision to block the flow of aid and goods into Gaza as efforts to negotiate a continuation of the current ceasefire flailed.

Qatar has played a key role in the negotiations throughout the ceasefire process, hosting recent talks in Doha.

Former Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his Otzma Yehudit party are set to rejoin Netanyahu's coalition government after the far-right politician left over his opposition to Israel's ceasefire deal with Hamas.

In a joint statement, Otzma Yehudit and Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party announced they had agreed to the decision. The announcement came as Israel launched a barrage of deadly strikes across Gaza, which some feared marked a resumption of the war in the enclave.

Otzma Yehudit quit Netanyahu’s coalition in January, making good on a vow to leave if the government agreed to its current ceasefire deal with Hamas.

In a statement earlier today, Ben-Gvir said he welcomed the "return of the State of Israel, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to intense combat," calling it the "right, moral, principled, and justified step."

Prominent human rights advocate Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, has condemned the way Israel appeared to be attempting to “pressure Hamas into making further concessions” in negotiations to maintain the current ceasefire.

When the initial phase of the ceasefire agreement went into effect a day before Trump’s inauguration, it came with the intention that by the beginning of this month, Israel and Hamas would enter negotiations over the second phase of the deal.

Under this second phase that would see a lasting truce, Israel was supposed to withdraw its remaining troops from Gaza in exchange for Hamas releasing the remaining hostages. But as it stands, Israel and Hamas have yet to successfully negotiate a second phase of the ceasefire deal, with Israel instead seeking an extension of the first phase of the truce as talks falter.

“The first phase of the ceasefire obviously expired, but the Israeli government has shown no interest in continuing that ceasefire while negotiating the second phase,” Roth said in a statement sent to NBC News. "Instead, to pressure Hamas into making further concessions, the Netanyahu government has reverted to its war-crime strategy of starving Palestinian civilians and now bombing Gaza.” 

Israel’s military launched a new round of deadly strikes in Gaza since the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. It’s the deadliest attack on Gaza in months with hundreds of Palestinians killed.

Israel appears to be attempting to push Hamas to "the decision phase" with its deadly barrage of airstrikes overnight, Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, has said.

Michael told NBC News in a voice note that the objective behind Israel's military campaign was to prevent Hamas from reconstituting itself further militarily, but he said a key focus was likely to push the militant group "to the decision phase, not back to the negotiating table."

Israel and Hamas were meant to have negotiated a second phase to the current ceasefire, but those discussions have stalled and Israel has instead proposed extending the first phase of the deal — a proposal Hamas has refused. Both groups have accused each other of breaking the truce throughout the ceasefire, which began in January, with Hamas accusing Israel of violating the deal once again today with its volley of airstrikes.

Michael said he believed Israel's actions were "well coordinated" with the Trump administration, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying on Fox News that Israel had consulted the Trump administration and the White House about the strikes.

Israel's strikes in the Gaza Strip came as the broader Middle East is engulfed in a number of other conflicts — some stemming from Israel's handling of the enclave.

At least 53 people, including children, were killed over the weekend after Trump ordered military strikes against the Houthi rebels, who have vowed their own action against the U.S. The Iran-backed rebels, who had been attacking ships in the Red Sea, had largely paused their attacks after the ceasefire came into effect but vowed to resume those when Israel imposed an aid blockade on Gaza.

Yesterday, Lebanon and Syria reached a ceasefire agreement after days of deadly cross-border attacks — the worst since Syria's new government came to power after the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad in December. The Lebanon-based Shia Hezbollah, which backed Assad, had clashed with Sunni militants from Syria.

Israel will show "no mercy" on its enemies, its ambassador to the United Nations said after the strikes on Gaza overnight.

"Let me be very clear: Israel will not stop until all of our hostages are back home," Danny Danon said in a video. "We will make it very clear to the Security Council that if they want to stop the war in Gaza, they have to ensure that the hostages are coming back to Israel."

A wave of "panic" has consumed hostages' families still awaiting the release of their loved ones held in Gaza as Israeli forces ramped up airstrikes in the enclave, imperiling Israel's fragile ceasefire with Hamas.

"They wake up this morning to the news that the ceasefire has been interrupted for reasons that we obviously are not privy to, to the decisionmaking of the government, but clearly this is of huge concern," Daniel Shek, head of diplomacy at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents families of those held hostage in Gaza, said in a phone interview this morning.

"There’s a feeling of, I think the word 'panic' is quite appropriate, because they are afraid for the safety of their loved ones who are still there, obviously, but also because simply this makes the continuation of the negotiations much, much more difficult."

Shek said he was hopeful that mediators, "especially the United States," would "make an extraordinary effort to bring the negotiations back on track and to resume the ceasefire," which he said would be "for everybody’s sake, including for the sake of the Gaza Strip.”

The director-general of the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, whose figures the World Health Organization has previously said it considers to be reliable, has condemned the "obscene killing" in Israeli strikes in the enclave this morning. “We are facing a real test for the international community: to stop this massacre,” he said.

"The Israeli occupation betrayed the people of Gaza while they slept," Dr. Muneer Al-Boursh told NBC News' crew on the ground in Gaza in an on-camera interview.

"This killing, this obscene killing, is the largest number of deaths since the beginning of the war," he said, describing how "in just a few hours," more than 400 people were killed in the strikes - and he said "the number is still increasing," while more than 600 people have so far been injured.

Al-Boursh said most of the people killed were women and children. NBC News was not able to independently verify the death toll or the demographics of those killed. NBC News' crew on the ground in Gaza captured video at Khan Younis' Nasser Hospital showing bloodied bodies, including children, and body bags lining the floors of the hospital and filling stretchers as injured Palestinians were rushed to the medical facility.

China is "highly concerned" about the current conflict, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said today at a regular news briefing.

Beijing hopes that "all parties can earnestly promote the continued and effective implementation of the ceasefire agreement," she said, adding Israel and Hamas should "avoid taking any actions that may lead to an escalation of the situation, and prevent a larger-scale humanitarian disaster.”

A far-right ally of Netanyahu welcomed the resumption of fighting in Gaza.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had opposed the ceasefire deal with Hamas and threatened to leave Netanyahu's governing coalition if fighting did not resume.

"We remained in the government for this moment, despite our opposition to the deal, and we are more determined than ever to complete the mission and destroy Hamas," he said in a post on X.

Families of those still held hostage in Gaza called for an immediate return to a ceasefire.

“The greatest fear of the families, of the hostages, and of the people of Israel has been realized,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

“We must immediately return to a ceasefire. The lives of our loved ones hang by a thread and cannot endure much longer,” the statement continued. “After surviving months in captivity against all odds, they are now in critical danger.”

There are an estimated 59 hostages remaining in Gaza, more than half of whom are believed to already be dead. Hamas said that with the airstrikes on Gaza today, Israel had exposed the surviving hostages to "an unknown fate."

As Israeli airstrikes rained down on Gaza this morning, "it felt like Armageddon," one doctor volunteering in the enclave with Medical Aid for Palestinians has said.

 “It’s nuts here, we woke up to an airstrike frenzy," Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a volunteer with MAP’s emergency medical team at Nasser Hospital in Gaza's Khan Younis, said in a statement shared with NBC News this morning. "The windows were shaking, the doors flew open, it was non-stop and then within about ten minutes we started hearing the sirens."

Haj-Hassan said patients had been "flowing in" to the hospital ever since, with dozens of bodies, at least 76, taken to the hospital's mortuary. "They didn’t even make it into the ER door. But the ER was just chaos, patients everywhere on the floor," she said, describing the scenes as "a level of horror and evil that is really hard to articulate."

Aseel Baidoun, MAP's senior advocacy and campaigns lead, based in Ramallah, said in a phone interview that her organization feared "that this Israeli violation of the ceasefire means the resumption of war — and that Israelis are not interested in getting back to the negotiating table." If the strikes were part of an effort to pressure Hamas to agree an extension of the first phase of the current ceasefire, she said it felt as if Palestinian lives were being used as "bargaining chips."

Fighting will continue until all hostages in Gaza are released, Israel's defense minister said today.

Israel Katz said in a statement that Israel had resumed fighting in Gaza "due to Hamas' refusal to release the hostages and its threats to harm" Israeli soldiers and communities.

"If Hamas does not release all the hostages, the gates of hell will open in Gaza," the defense minister continued.

"We will not stop fighting until all the hostages return home and all the war's objectives are achieved."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held a security assessment at the Kirya, the headquarters of the Israeli Defense Ministry, with Defense Minister Israel Katz and other senior security officials.

The prime minister's office announced the development in a statement this morning, but did not share further details on the meeting as Israel's military continued its strikes in Gaza.

Palestinian officials updated the death toll from overnight Israeli strikes in Gaza to 404, with 562 injured.

A senior Hamas official said Israel's strikes on Gaza were essentially a "death sentence" for the hostages still being held in the enclave.

Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using the strikes as a "lifeboat from internal crises" as his far-right governing coalition comes under growing pressure.

"Netanyahu's decision to resume war is a decision to sacrifice" the captives and "impose a death sentence on them," al-Risheq said in a statement early today.

"Mediators are required to reveal the facts about Netanyahu's reversal of the ceasefire agreement and hold him solely responsible for pouring oil on the fire in Gaza and the region," he added.

Condemning Israel's attacks on Gaza, Hamas said the Israeli government is exposing the hostages to "an unknown fate."

The resumption of the strikes immediately raised fears over the fate of the remaining 59 hostages in Gaza, more than half of whom are believed to already be dead.

The Israeli military has issued evacuation warnings for some Gaza residents on the edge of the enclave.

"For your own safety, move away to the known shelters in western Gaza City and in the city of Khan Younis," the Israel Defense Force's Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said in a post on X.

The areas, which include Beit Hanoun, Khuzaʽan and Abasan, "are dangerous combat zones," signaling a possible expansion of the military assault. "Staying in the area marked in red may endanger you and your family," he wrote.

The White House was consulted by Israel before it launched its strikes on Gaza, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday on Fox News.

The Israeli strikes come days after at least 53 people were killed in a series of U.S. strikes on Yemen, parts of which have been taken over by the Iranian-backed Houthis.

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

Palestinian officials updated the death toll from overnight Israeli strikes in Gaza to 326.

The death toll from overnight Israeli strikes in Gaza has risen to at least 254, including women and children. according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

More than 440 others were injured, the ministry said, including some with "very serious injuries," as a result of the Israeli strikes that began early this morning local time.

"A number of victims are still under the rubble, and efforts are underway to recover them," the ministry said.

More than 322 people have either been killed or are missing, the Palestinian government media office said in a separate statement.

"Some of these martyrs have reached hospitals," it said, "while a large number of martyrs have been unable to reach hospitals due to the difficult humanitarian situation on the ground."

Hamas said Israel had decided to "overturn the ceasefire agreement" as Israel launched its biggest strikes in Gaza since a ceasefire brought fighting in the Palestinian enclave to a halt in January.

In a statement this morning, Hamas said Israel is "fully responsible for the repercussions of the treacherous aggression on Gaza," calling on mediators to hold Israel accountable.

Israel’s military said early today it was “conducting extensive strikes” against Hamas targets in Gaza, further straining an increasingly fragile ceasefire between Israel and the militant group.

The Israel Defense Forces were striking Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip, with the aim of “the release of all our hostages — living and dead,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.

“From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military force,” it said.

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