The White House also acknowledged that it had been consulted by Israel, and it supports the Israeli strikes over Gaza. Moreover, the strike raises concerns about the fate of the roughly two dozen hostages held by Hamas.
Following Israeli airstrikes that killed over 400 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Prime Minister, in a statement, said that the attack was “only the beginning”, adding that Israel would press ahead until it achieves all of its war aims — destroying Hamas and freeing all hostages held by the militant group.
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Netanyahu’s office said. Earlier, Netanyahu ordered airstrikes, shattering a ceasefire in place since January, which killed hundreds of Palestinians, including women and children.
The White House acknowledged that it had been consulted by Israel, and it supported the Israeli move.
People in Gaza received orders from the Israeli military to evacuate eastern Gaza and head towards the centre of the territory, indicating that Israel could soon launch renewed ground operations.
The attack during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan could signal the full resumption of a war that has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza.
It also raised concerns about the fate of the roughly two dozen hostages held by Hamas who are believed to still be alive. The renewal of the campaign against Hamas, which receives support from Iran, came as the US and Israel stepped up attacks this week across the region.
The US launched deadly strikes against Iran-allied rebels in Yemen, while Israel has targeted Iran-backed militants in Lebanon and Syria.
A senior Hamas official said Netanyahu’s decision to return to war amounts to a “death sentence” for the remaining hostages. Izzat al-Risheq accused Netanyahu of launching the strikes to save his far-right governing coalition.
The strikes came as Netanyahu faces mounting domestic pressure, with mass protests planned over his handling of the hostage crisis and his decision to fire the head of Israel’s internal security agency.
(With inputs from AP)