Tel Aviv: The Israeli military on Tuesday said that it was conducting "extensive strikes" against militant group Hamas in Gaza. The Israeli Army launched an offensive as ceasefire talks stalled. At least 69 people are reportedly killed in the airstrikes. At least 100 people were reportedly killed in the airstrikes.
"In accordance with the political echelon, the IDF and ISA are currently conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip," the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said in an X post.
Tweet By Israeli Defence Forces:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in talks to extend the ceasefire. Officials said the operation was open-ended and expected to expand.
"Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength," Netanyahu's office said, reported The Associated Press.
Notably, the airstrikes were conducted during the holy month of Ramadan.
"The IDF is, at this time, attacking targets of the Hamas terrorist organization throughout the Gaza Strip in order to achieve the objectives of the war as they have been determined by the political echelon including the release of all of our hostages, the living and the deceased," the Israeli Prime Minister said in an X post.
The plan to conduct the airstrikes was presented by the IDF over the weekend and approved by the political leadership.
The truce talks stalled as Israel wanted that the first phase of the three-stage ceasefire should be extended. However, Hamas wanted to release the remaining hostages in the second phase of the ceasefire agreement which was scheduled to begin on March 2. In the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas freed 33 Israeli hostages, while Israel reportedly freed around.2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
According to reports, over 48,000 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli offensive since October 2023 after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
