File Photo: Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Photo: Reuters
Aboul-Gheit condemned Tuesday in a statement the overnight brutal Israeli attacks on the strip that, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, killed 412 Palestinians and wounded over 500 others, mostly women and children.
Aboul-Gheit said Israeli leaders were "waging an internal battle at the expense of Gaza children and women," the statement added, referring to the political tensions in Israel over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's potential dismissal of his intelligence chief.
He also stated that they were "risking the lives of Israeli captives in the strip" and "disregarding the ceasefire agreement," which was about to enter its second phase.
These overnight attacks mark Israel's latest and most violent breach of the truce deal. They come amid a deadlock in talks aimed at extending the ceasefire after the end of its initial phase in early March.
The escalation also followed Tel Aviv's cutting of power and halting of humanitarian deliveries into Gaza for over two weeks to pressure Hamas into accepting its conditions in the latest talks to prolong the fragile ceasefire and release the remaining Israeli captives.
On Tuesday, Israel vowed to continue its assault on the strip until all its captives are returned.
Hamas, in response, accused Israel of choosing to "resume war" following a deadlock in truce extension talks and warned that renewed fighting could mean a "death sentence" for its captives.
The original ceasefire agreement brokered in January secured the release of 33 Israeli captives and five Thai nationals in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
It outlined a second phase involving a permanent end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces in return for the release of remaining captives.
Israel, backed by the US, avoided moving to the second phase. Instead, it kept pushing for the return of captives in exchange for a longer-term truce until the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover holiday in April.
However, Hamas insisted on negotiations for the second phase under the original agreement's terms.
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