Netanyahu says strikes on Gaza that killed hundreds are ‘only the beginning’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday that massive overnight strikes on Gaza were “only the beginning” and that future negotiations with Hamas “will take place only under fire”.

The strikes, by far the largest since a truce took effect in January, killed more than 400 people across the Gaza Strip, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Netanyahu said in a video statement on Tuesday evening “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”.

Negotiations have stalled over how to proceed with a ceasefire whose first phase has expired, with Israel and Hamas disagreeing on whether to move to a new phase intended to bring the war to an end.

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Israeli air strikes shatter ceasefire, leave hundreds dead in Gaza

Israeli air strikes shatter ceasefire, leave hundreds dead in Gaza

The Israeli premier said in his address that “from now on, negotiations will take place only under fire,” before adding: “Military pressure is essential for the release of additional hostages”.

Israel has vowed to keep fighting until the return of all the hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attack that sparked the war.