President Trump gave a green light to Israel’s deadly strikes on Gaza early Tuesday, which shattered the fragile ceasefire in place since January, marking a violent turn in his push for peace in the Middle East.
Trump has long warned the U.S. would “unleash hell” on Hamas if it refused to release the hostages it has held since its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. And his administration quickly sought to blame Hamas for the renewed hostilities.
The surprise attacks enraged critics of Israel’s war in Gaza — with Hamas officials reporting that more than 400 Palestinians were killed — and left the families of hostages urging a return to negotiations.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the civilian casualties from Israeli strikes overnight “appalling” and called on Hamas and Israel to “re-engage with negotiations to get hostages out, surge aid, and secure a permanent end” to the conflict.
“Diplomacy, not more bloodshed, is how we get security for Israelis and Palestinians,” Lammy posted to the social platform X.
Assaf Orion, research fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Israel’s strikes were likely meant to increase pressure on Hamas as negotiations have stalled with U.S. officials, while also serving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s domestic political interests.
“The first purpose of last night’s airstrikes was to reinvigorate the energy, to remind Hamas that it’s not a given that the ceasefire is there, not to be taken for granted,” Orion, a retired Israeli brigadier general and defense strategist, said.
The tenuous, two-month truce has provided desperately needed relief for Gaza’s residents and facilitated the release of 38 hostages held by Hamas, living and dead.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Israelis consulted the White House before beginning their attacks in the Gaza Strip on Monday night.
“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, quoting Trump’s earlier threats against Hamas.
Netanyahu thanked Trump on Tuesday for his “unwavering support” and said Israel’s alliance with the U.S. “has never been stronger.”
“Israel will fight and Israel will win,” he said. “We will bring our people home and we will destroy Hamas. We will not relent until we achieve all these vital goals.”
There are 59 hostages still in Gaza, although the Israeli military believes only two dozen of them are alive. Among them is American Israeli Edan Alexander, who was serving in the Israeli military when Hamas kidnapped him during its attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Dorothy Shea said Tuesday “the blame for the resumption of hostilities … lies solely with Hamas.”
“This brutal terrorist organization has steadfastly refused every proposal and deadline they have been presented over the past few weeks, including a bridge proposal to extend the ceasefire beyond Ramadan and Passover to allow time to negotiate a framework for a permanent ceasefire,” Shea said at a U.N. Security Council meeting.
But some recently released hostages warned that continued fighting would lead to more hostage deaths and urged an immediate ceasefire and return to negotiations to secure the release of all those remaining in Hamas captivity.
“For the 59 hostages still held in Gaza and their families this moment brings renewed fear — not only of the ongoing attacks but a breakdown in negotiations that could bring them home,” said Keith Siegel, a 65-year-old American Israeli who was freed from captivity last month.
“We call on all mediators and the international community to exert maximum pressure on Hamas and all negotiation parties to resume talks and secure the immediate release of every hostage.”
Netanyahu is also shoring up his political position at home.
He announced the military operation shortly after taking action to try to dismiss the head of Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, and plans to oust the attorney general blocking the move. The prime minister also canceled his testimony in a corruption trial and welcomed back far-right members of his coalition government who had defected during the ceasefire ahead of a key vote on the country’s budget.
About 3,000 people protested in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night against Netanyahu’s actions.
“It’s very very useful politically, and many in Israel can hardly miss this context of explaining why now, why this — besides promoting the war goals of releasing the hostages, and even more so when strikes on Gaza are definitely a risk to our hostages’ lives,” said Orion.
The U.K. was joined by other European nations — including Ireland, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Switzerland — in condemning the strikes.
The attacks are expected to continue into the week, as Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Tuesday said the strikes are “not a one-day operation.”
Israel said it decided to relaunch military operations after Hamas refused proposals from Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, for Hamas to release hostages in exchange for extending the ceasefire to the end of the Jewish holiday of Passover, and the holy month of Ramadan, in mid-April.
Witkoff, in an interview with “Face the Nation” on Sunday, said he offered Hamas a “bridging proposal” to advance talks toward a final resolution in which the group would give up its arms and ambitions of leading peacetime Gaza.
“Hamas came up with their own construct … essentially disavowed what we discussed,” he said. “I hope they reconsider, because the alternative is not so good for them.”
