The leader of a far-right party has returned to the Israeli government as national security minister following a wave of strikes that killed more than 400 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Itamar Ben-Gvir left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition in January in protest at a ceasefire with Hamas that was broken by Israeli bombing on Tuesday.
Mr Netanyahu said the attack was “just the beginning” and that Israel would continue to act until it achieved all of its military goals – destroying Hamas and freeing all hostages held by the militant group since its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that triggered the fighting.
Gaza's Health Ministry said Tuesday's strikes killed at least 409 people, including 173 children and 88 women.
Zaher al-Wahidi, head of the ministry's documentation department, called it the deadliest day in Gaza since the war began.
The return of Mr Ben-Gvir, the leader of the ultra-nationalist Jewish Power party, strengthens Mr Netanyahu's coalition ahead of a crucial budget vote this month and improves its chances of surviving until the next scheduled elections in October 2026.
Mr. Ben-Gvir supports a full resumption of the war to destroy Hamas, reduce the population of Gaza through what he calls voluntary Palestinian migration, and rebuild Jewish settlements there.
Meanwhile, the United Nations said an explosion in the Gaza Strip killed an international staff member and injured five others.
Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the UN Office for Project Services, said the cause of Wednesday's blast remained unclear but that an explosive device was “dropped or launched”.
Thousands of Israelis have marched in Jerusalem to protest the renewed war in the Gaza Strip, fearing it could further endanger some two dozen hostages held by Hamas.
A sea of Israeli flags could be seen outside Israel's parliament building a day after a fragile ceasefire was shattered by heavy airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
Families and supporters of the hostages fear that renewed fighting could be a death sentence for their loved ones in captivity.
The hostages “are waiting for us to take them out and bring them home, but war won't do that. Only negotiations will do that,” protester Alon Shirizli said.
Hamas still holds 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
Demonstrators are also protesting Mr Netanyahu's plan to fire the head of Israel's Internal Security Agency, the latest in a series of moves that his critics see as an attack on Israeli democracy.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Israel's airstrikes were a “tragic step backwards” for the Palestinian people and the Gaza Strip, as well as for the Israeli hostages and their families.
Mr Macron, speaking alongside Jordan's King Abdullah II during a visit to France, called for an immediate end to the fighting and a resumption of talks, including with the US administration, on a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages.
Macron's office said the two leaders would also discuss the need to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and restore access to water and electricity in the Palestinian territory.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
