Israel Strikes in Gaza Widen Attacks on Iran’s Militant Allies

Israel ended the Hamas ceasefire with deadly airstrikes across Gaza, days after the US ordered an offensive against the Houthis in an escalation of hostilities against Iran-backed militant groups.

Joumanna Bercetche, host of Bloomberg Horizons Middle East & Africa, reports on the latest developments in the region and whether the Arab League can do anything to halt the resumption of violence. Joumanna speaks with Tom Keene and Paul Sweeney on Bloomberg Radio.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday to act “with increasing military strength” against Hamas, saying the Palestinian organization had refused to release the remaining hostages taken during the October 2023 attacks. The move brought to an abrupt end any immediate hope the near two-month truce would be extended into a second phase, initially slated for the start of March.

“We reached a dead end where we weren’t firing and there was no release of our hostages, and Israel cannot accept this,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in comments released by his office. “If we had continued to wait, the situation would have remained static.”

Hamas said at least 404 people have been killed since the airstrikes began overnight, including some senior members, with many others missing. The group, designated a terrorist organization by the US and many other countries, has repeatedly accused Israel of failing to meet its commitments under the truce brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US in January, including by preventing aid supplies getting into Gaza.

Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza, along with others overnight in Lebanon and Syria, followed the weekend return of US attacks against the Houthis in Yemen, the latest effort to curb assaults by the group on Red Sea shipping that have forced vessels to avoid the area and pushed up freight rates.

US President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday that any retaliation from the Houthis would be considered to have come from Iran, which sponsors the group as well as Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Trump has returned to the so-called maximum pressure approach to Iran that he adopted in his first term, imposing a new raft of sanctions and threatening military action if the Islamic Rep

A spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, condemned the fresh Israeli attacks, adding that inaction by the international community would have “catastrophic consequences for global peace and security.”

Saudi Arabia, a US ally, said Israel’s bombardment is being conducted “without the slightest regard for international humanitarian law.” Qatar warned that the resumption of airstrikes could “ignite” the region, stressing the need for a return to ceasefire talks.

The ramping up of both US and Israeli military operations has ended a period of relative calm in the Middle East over the past few weeks.

The change helped fuel a rise in gold and oil prices. The former increased to a fresh all-time high, while Brent crude climbed as much as 2.3% to $72.19 a barrel over the past two days, heading for its biggest weekly gain since January. The Israeli shekel weakened as much as 0.9%.

Read More: MIDEAST INSIGHT: Gaza and Yemen Strikes Risk Return to Wider War

The Gaza bombardment is the deadliest since before the start of the ceasefire, which officially ended in early March. Hamas released around 38 hostages during the official six-week duration, including some dead, with Israel freeing more than 1,700 imprisoned Palestinians. There was no official extension of the deal as the warring sides disagreed on the way forward during talks through the mediators.

Netanyahu’s coalition wants Hamas to release the roughly 60 captives still in Gaza, of whom Israel believes about 25 are still alive, and for Hamas to disarm and step down from power in the territory. The Palestinian group is demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal.

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