UN Concerned Hundreds Of Gazans Killed In Israeli Airstrikes

Illustration of Israeli fighter jets. (Wikimedia Commons/Yuval Shmueli/IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

JAKARTA - The United Nations is concerned about the deaths of hundreds of Gaza Strip residents, as Israel restarted its attack on the Palestinian enclave on Tuesday.

Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza, killing more than 400 people, Palestinian health authorities said on Tuesday, quoted from Reuters on March 18, as Israel is determined to use its power to free all remaining hostages.

Airstrikes hit homes and tent camps from north to south of the Gaza Strip and Israeli tanks opened fire on the border lines to the east and south of the enclave.

"That night was like hell. It felt like the first days of war," said Rabiha Jamal, 65, mother of five from Gaza.

"We were getting ready to eat something before starting a new fasting day when the explosion began. We thought it was over, but the war came back," he told Reuters via chat app.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk said he was horrified by Israeli bombings.

"This will add to the tragedy after tragedy," he said in a statement.

"Israel's move to use greater military force will only add to the suffering of Palestinians who are already suffering from very bad conditions."

The attack was much broader on the scale than the usual drone strike Israel said had recently carried out against militant suspects, and followed weeks-long failed attempts to approve an extension of the ceasefire agreed on January 19.

Gaza's medical sources said most of the victims of Israeli attacks were children and women, being taken to hospitals in the Gaza Strip since dawn on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, 660 others were injured in a series of airstrikes and fire belts carried out by Israeli aircraft. Some of the victims are still buried by the rubble.

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian territory occupied by Muhannad Hadi said the citizens of the Gaza Strip had suffered inconceivable suffering.

"What happened in the Gaza Strip was inconceivable, and the ceasefire must be restored immediately," he exclaimed, quoted from WAFA.

"Ending hostilities, providing sustainable humanitarian assistance, releasing hostages, and restoring basic services and livelihoods is the only way forward," said Hadi.

Israel continued their aggression in the Gaza Strip at dawn, after more than two months of pause, launching a series of intensive airstrikes and belts in several areas of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed the resumption of the war in the Gaza Strip, and its coverage will be gradually expanded in the coming hours.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had told the military to take "hard action" against Hamas in response to the group's refusal to release the remaining hostages and because of their rejection of the ceasefire proposal.

Hamas itself is estimated to still have 59 of the approximately 250 hostages arrested in its offensive on October 7, 2023 in Israel, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire and endangering mediatorial efforts to secure a permanent ceasefire.