As negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have not made any progress, Israel has once again carried out large-scale airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. At least 200 people are reported to have died in the latest airstrikes.
On the 17th (local time), according to major foreign media outlets such as Reuters and AFP, the Gaza Health Authority reported that at least 200 people died due to the Israeli military airstrikes. The number of injured is said to exceed 150. The authorities claimed that "most of the deceased are children, women, and the elderly."
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said, "Hamas has repeatedly refused to release hostages and has rejected all proposals related to ceasefire negotiations, prompting (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) to order the attacks." It added, "Israel will now intensify its military response against Hamas."
According to Bloomberg News, this airstrike is the most severe since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect in January. Bloomberg reported that Israel's latest airstrikes could impact the ongoing ceasefire negotiations that have not yet reached an agreement.
Earlier, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in January. However, the first phase of the ceasefire ended on the 1st of this month after 42 days, and both sides have since been engaged in negotiations to extend the ceasefire.
Israel has proposed to extend the first phase of the ceasefire by 50 days and to release half of the remaining hostages first; after agreeing to a permanent ceasefire, the remainder would be released. However, Hamas insists on transitioning to a second phase of the ceasefire, which involves the complete release of all hostages as originally promised and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.
As negotiations have reached a stalemate, Israel has begun airstrikes on the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas. Hamas is strongly protesting that Israel unilaterally breached the ceasefire negotiations right after the latest airstrikes.