Gaza’s civil defence agency reported on Wednesday that 13 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian territory since midnight.
Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the agency, told AFP that Israel had carried out multiple airstrikes, which resulted in 13 deaths and dozens of injuries, including women and children, in Khan Yunes and Gaza City.
On Tuesday, Israel launched its heaviest airstrikes on Gaza since a ceasefire ended on January 19, which had brought a halt to over 15 months of conflict with Palestinian militants Hamas. The strikes, which followed the collapse of negotiations to extend the truce, killed over 400 people, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned late Tuesday that these strikes were “only the beginning” and emphasized that future negotiations with Hamas would only occur “under fire.” In a video statement, he said, “Hamas has already felt the strength of our arm in the past 24 hours. And I want to promise you – and them – this is only the beginning.”
Netanyahu’s office also confirmed on Wednesday that the Israeli government had “unanimously approved” his proposal to reappoint far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir as national security minister. Ben Gvir had resigned in protest over the ceasefire agreement, which his Jewish Power party had labelled a “capitulation to Hamas.”
Israel has pledged to continue its military actions until all hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attack are returned. While Hamas has not responded militarily yet, it has urged its allies to pressure the United States to end the Israeli airstrikes.
