Since the start of the war, Netanyahu has faced dueling, possibly incompatible pressures: Families of the captives want him to cut a deal with Hamas to free them, while his far-right coalition partners want to continue the war with the aim of expelling the Palestinians out of their land.
On Tuesday, he appeared to cast his lot with the latter, and US President Donald Trump's administration has backed Netanyahu's decision to unilaterally walk away from the ceasefire it took credit for brokering.
Both Israel and the United States blame the renewed hostilities on Hamas' refusal to release more Israelis before negotiations on ending the war proceed, which was not part of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas has spent weeks calling for serious talks on the ceasefire agreement's second phase, which calls for the release of the remaining living Israelis in exchange for more Palestinian detained by Israel, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting ceasefire.
Those talks, set for early February, were deliberately stalled by Israel. Now, they may never happen
What did the ceasefire agreement say?
The agreement reached in January, under pressure from the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump one, called for a phased ceasefire aimed at freeing all the Israelis held in Gaza and ending the war.
Under the first phase, which ran from Jan. 19 to March 1, Hamas released 25 Israeli and the bodies of eight others in return for nearly 1,800 Palestinian.
Israeli forces pulled back to to an area they describe as a buffer zone, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returned to what remained of their homes, and there was a little surge of humanitarian aid.
However, Israel persisted with strikes killing dozens of Palestinians and largely blocked humanitarian aid and food. But the truce held.
Still, the second phase was always seen as far more difficult.
Through months of negotiations, Netanyahu had repeatedly cast doubt on it, insisting Israel was committed to returning all the Israeli and destroying Hamas' military and governing capabilities, two war goals that many believe are irreconcilable.
In a TV interview last June, Netanyahu cast doubt on the possibility of a lasting ceasefire before Hamas is destroyed.
"We are committed to continuing the war after a pause, in order to complete the goal of eliminating Hamas. I’m not willing to give up on that,” he said.
On Jan. 18, the eve of the ceasefire, he said "we reserve the right to return to war if necessary with the backing of the United States.”
Why did Netanyahu back out of the ceasefire?
Agreeing to a permanent ceasefire would almost certainly plunge Netanyahu into a political crisis that could end his nearly uninterrupted 15-year rule.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had threatened to leave the coalition if Netanyahu progressed to Phase 2 instead of restarting the war.
Opposition parties have promised to support him in any agreement that brings back the captives, but his coalition would still be severely weakened, making early elections likely.
By resuming the fighting, Netanyahu ensured Smotrich’s continued support. After the strikes, the Israeli leader regained another far-right partner, Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose party had bolted in January over the ceasefire but returned to the coalition Tuesday.
Beyond the political jockeying, Netanyahu's stated goal of annihilating Hamas would have almost certainly eluded him had he stuck with the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas survived 15 months of Israeli bombardment and ground war that killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women and destroyed much of Gaza. When the truce took hold, the militant group immediately reasserted its rule.
For many Israelis, especially Netanyahu’s hawkish base and far-right allies, that look like defeat. It would add to the criticism he already faces over security failures surrounding the Oct. 7 operation.
How did Netanyahu end the truce?
After the first phase ended, Netanyahu said Israel had agreed to what he described as a new US proposal in which Hamas would release half the remaining Israelis in return for a seven-week extension of the the first phase of the truce, with a vague promise to launch negotiations over a lasting ceasefire.
Hamas accepted te release but refused the extension, pointing out that the new proposal was different from the one they had agreed to in January and again called for the immediate launch of talks on Phase 2.
It even offered to return an America-Israeli and the bodies of four other Israelis to get the talks back on track, an offer dismissed as “psychological warfare” by Israel. Trump's Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff claimed Hamas' demands were “entirely impractical”.
In an attempt to impose the new arrangement on Hamas, Israel blocked the import of all food, fuel and other humanitarian aid to Gaza.
It later cut off electricity, affecting a vital desalination plant. Israel also said it would not withdraw from a strategic corridor on Gaza's border with Egypt, as stipulated in the agreement.
In recent days, Israel stepped up strikes across Gaza killing nearly 150 Palestinians. On Tuesday, at around 2 am., it launched one of the deadliest waves of strikes since the start of the war.
What has Trump said about the ceasefire?
Trump took credit for brokering the ceasefire in January, but since then has appeared to sour on it. He has warned that “all hell” will break loose if Hamas does not immediately release the hostages, while saying that's a decision for Israel to make.
Trump has also proposed that Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians be permanently displaced out of their land so the US can take ownership of Gaza and develop it as a tourist destination.
Netanyahu has embraced the plan, which has been universally condemned by Palestinians, Arab countries and human rights experts, who say it is a war crime and would violate international law.
The White House said it was consulted ahead of Tuesday's strikes and supported Israel's decision.
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