Israel warned that the air strikes that killed more than 400 people in Gaza on Tuesday (18) are “just the beginning” of the Israeli offensive. The bombing series came after about two months of ceasefire.
Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas accused each other to violate the truce. Hamas accused Israel of harming mediators’ efforts to negotiate a permanent agreement to end the fighting, but the group made no threat of retaliation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the attacks because Hamas had rejected proposals to ensure the extent of the ceasefire.
Netanyahu asked the inhabitants of Gaza to get out of the way of danger and moved to safer areas, blaming Hamas for all civilian deaths.
“From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with growing force.
“Hamas has felt the blow in the last 24 hours. And I want to assure them: this is just the beginning.”
The attacks hit homes and tents from north to south of the Gaza Strip. Witnesses said an Israeli plane fired missiles at the city of Gaza late Tuesday (18).
Israeli tanks bombarded across the border, according to witnesses. Palestinian health authorities said 408 people were killed, one of the deadliest days of the conflict.
“It was a night of hell. It seemed the first days of the war,” said Rabiha Jamal, 65, mother of five children, from the city of Gaza.
Egypt and Qatar, mediators of the agreement along with the US, condemned the Israeli attack, while the European Union said in a statement that it mourned the breakdown of ceasefire.
UN emergency aid coordinator Tom Fletcher said the “modest gains” obtained during ceasefire were destroyed.
Israel has prevented the provision of help to Gaza for more than two weeks, aggravating the humanitarian crisis.
However, Dorothy Shea, an interim US ambassador in the United Nations, said that the blame for resuming Gaza hostilities “falls exclusively on Hamas” and expressed support for Israel in their next measures.
“Hamas could have liberated hostages to extend the ceasefire, but instead he opted for refusal and war,” said White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes.
This content was originally published in Israel warns that more air attacks are coming after the end of the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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