Gaza doctors describe scenes of ‘armageddon’ after Israeli strikes shatter ceasefire

Doctors in Gaza described scenes of “armageddon” as they struggled to tend to hundreds of dead and wounded, including children with severed limbs, as Israel launched some of its deadliest-ever strikes, shattering the relative calm of a ceasefire.

The ferocious bombardment came after Israel had imposed a two-week blockade on aid, supplies, and electricity, crippling the emergency responses. It pounded swathes of the strip early Tuesday morning, bringing an already struggling healthcare system to its knees.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the strikes because of Hamas’s rejection of a new ceasefire proposal. He vowed that Israel would “from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength”.

Palestinian health officials said that in just a few hours alone, over 400 people had been killed, the vast majority women and children.

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Doctors told The Independent they could not cope with the injured and dying, as a total blockade on supplies meant they lacked basic necessities, including diesel for generators and essential surgical items like gloves, swabs, and syringes. Gaza Health Ministry officials said that only seven of the territory's hospitals were providing services.

Dr Muhammad Abuafash, director of Palestinian Medical Relief, who rushed to treat those at al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, said the few medics available struggled to decide who to treat first, as patients and bloodied bodies intermingled on the floor.

“The vast majority of the wounded are children. We’re talking about large numbers of children with severed limbs,” he said in desperation, adding that emergency workers were still pulling the wounded and the dead out from under the rubble.

“There are not enough medical facilities or supplies, nor are there enough medical personnel. The doctors deal with injuries without preference, unfortunately.”

Dr Tanya Haj-Hassan, a paediatric intensive care physician working with Medical Aid for Palestinians inside Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, described being woken before dawn by an “airstrike frenzy.”

“The ER was just chaos, patients everywhere on the floor,” she said in a voice recording, adding that the paediatric intensive area unit beds were full and in the first couple of hours, more than 70 bodies were brought in and taken immediately to the morgue.

“There were probably three men, and the rest were all children, women, the elderly – it was everybody caught in their sleep, still wrapped in their blankets. Terrifying, a level of horror and evil that is hard to articulate. It felt like armageddon.”

Dr Mohammad Qishta, a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) emergency doctor at Nasser Hospital, said the emergency department was “disastrous.”

“We received no less than 400 cases in less than two hours. We received many bodies and parts of bodies, most of them children and women,” he continued.

Palestinian civilians and international aid workers described being shaken awake at 2am by the sound of heavy bombing as Israel launched some of the strongest attacks in the 15-month war.

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“It was one bomb after the other, sometimes with just a few seconds between them. I could see the sky lighting up,” said Rosalia Bollen, at the UN’s children’s agency Unicef, from al-Muwasi camp, a coastal area Israel has said is a protected humanitarian zone.

“Everyone was yelling, and I heard ambulances. We knew that some of those bombs hit tents and schools that were shelters for people. We know there were dozens of children killed and scores more injured. The sound of drones and the rumbling of planes has been uninterrupted.”

Catherine Russell, executive director of Unicef, added: “Reports and images emerging from the Gaza Strip following today’s attacks are beyond horrifying. Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed, including more than 130 children, representing the largest single-day child death toll in the last year.”

Mr Netanyahu’s office released a statement that the army had been instructed to “take strong action” after “Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all proposals it has received from US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators.”

The Israeli military said it had started to strike what it claimed were targets belonging to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, including weapons stockpiles and launch posts.

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 fears about the fate of around two dozen Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the 7 October attacks on southern Israel, who are believed to still be alive.

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A senior Hamas official said Mr Netanyahu's decision to return to war amounts to a “death sentence” for the remaining hostages.

In Israel, families of the hostages expressed their desperation, with the largest faction of the families saying: “Our greatest fear has come true – the Israeli government has chosen to abandon the hostages.”

“Resuming fighting will cost more hostages their lives,” they said as they announced a wave of rallies in Israel. “We must stop the fighting and immediately return to the negotiation table to reach a comprehensive agreement for the return of all hostages.”

Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq accused Mr Netanyahu of launching the strikes to try and save his far-right governing coalition and called on mediators to “reveal facts” on who broke the truce. Hamas said at least four senior officials were killed in Tuesday’s strikes.

In Israel, many have also accused Mr Netanyahu of putting domestic politics first, ahead of an important budget vote next week, and also amid multiple trials where he is accused of corruption.

The ceasefire was first drafted to consist of three phases, the first of which expired two weeks ago and saw Hamas hand over 25 living hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Phase two, which is yet to be fully negotiated, was supposed to pave the way for a long-term ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the return of all hostages.

However, the extreme-right of the Israeli government including Itamar Ben-Gvir, minister of national security, who resigned in protest, have fiercely rejected ending the war and withdrawing from the besieged strip.

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Mr Netanyahu needs to meet an end-of-the-month deadline for passing a budget or his government will collapse and the country would be forced into early elections. He has struggled to reach an agreement with coalition partners.

Following Tuesday's strikes, the far-right Jewish Power party of Mr Ben-Gvir announced it was returning to Mr Netanyahu's coalition.

Mr Netanyahu was also due to appear in court this week to testify in his ongoing corruption trials, which have cast a long shadow over his terms in office. The Israeli premier has vehemently denied the charges and portrayed the legal proceedings as a political witch hunt.

He has also frequently, and unsuccessfully, requested that his hearings be cancelled so he can focus on the war in Gaza. His wish was apparently temporarily granted on Tuesday – the latest session has been cancelled due to the renewed hostilities.

The renewal of the campaign against Hamas, which is supported by 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.