Israel Launches Airstrikes Against Hamas After Refusal to Reach Hostage Deal

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) resumed attacks on Hamas in the Gaza Strip early Tuesday local time, after the terror group refused repeated attempts to extend a ceasefire and release all of its remaining Israeli and American hostages.

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said (translated from Hebrew by the Government Press Office):

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have instructed the IDF to take strong action against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.

This follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators.