Palestinian man holds the body of a child after Israeli airstrikes at the hospital morgue in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on March 18, 2025. (Photo by AP)
World governments, UN officials and rights groups have voiced their outrage at the resumption of Israel’s barbaric aggression on the Gaza Strip, warning that the assault could torpedo a ceasefire deal that was expected to put an end to the regime’s 17-month-long genocidal onslaught on the besieged Palestinian territory.
Over 400 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed on Tuesday after the occupying entity resumed its merciless war on Gaza, undermining the fragile two-month-long truce agreement with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked” by the Israeli attack and Palestinians in Gaza were being subjected to an “intolerable level of suffering,” while Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said resuming the war would fuel “hell on Earth.”
The UN’s human rights chief, Volker Turk, said the “airstrikes and shelling, which killed hundreds, are horrifying. This nightmare must end immediately.”
Turk added that the strikes would “add tragedy onto tragedy,” while calling for an immediate end to the violence and the unconditional release of captives and abductees held by Hamas and the Israeli regime.
“The last 18 months of violence have made abundantly clear that there is no military path out of this crisis,” he said, calling for a political settlement in line with international law. “Israel’s resort to yet more military force will only heap further misery upon a Palestinian population already suffering catastrophic conditions.”
The UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Muhannad Hadi, described Israel’s renewed assault as “unconscionable.”
The UN’s body for children, UNICEF, said, “The reports and images emerging from Gaza are beyond horrifying. Some of the strikes reportedly hit makeshift shelters where children and families were sleeping, proving once again that nowhere is safe in Gaza.”
UNICEF warned that Gaza’s one million children, already suffering from months-long genocide, are now trapped in even greater fear and danger, calling on Israel to reinstate the ceasefire immediately and urging world leaders to intervene before the situation worsens.
UNICEF also demanded respect for international humanitarian law, the protection of civilians, and the urgent delivery of aid. “The attacks and violence must stop—now.”
CAIR, a Washington, DC-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said in a statement that it condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet “for resuming its horrific and genocidal attacks on the men, women and children of Gaza, killing hundreds of civilians in a matter of hours.”
Rachael Cummings, Save the Children’s humanitarian director based in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, said the collapse of the ceasefire was “nothing short of a death sentence for Gaza’s children.”
The denial of aid coinciding with the holy fasting month of Ramadan amounted to “a grave violation against children,” she said.
The head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, said he was saddened by the news from Gaza, “Violence must stop and the terms of the ceasefire agreement must be respected. All hostages and detainees must be released, and humanitarian aid must be resumed immediately,” he wrote on X.
The EU’s aid commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, said the “renewed escalation in Gaza is devastating. Civilians have endured unimaginable suffering. This must stop.”
World countries react
Jordan, a US ally that has a peace agreement with Israel, called the regime’s strikes “aggressive and barbaric.”
Egypt, which also has a diplomatic relationship with Tel Aviv and helped mediate the mid-January truce, decried the bombing as a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire.
Qatar, another mediator in the truce deal, strongly condemned the attacks, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs warning in a statement that Israel’s “escalating policies will ultimately ignite the region and undermine its security and stability.”
In a statement, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is unacceptable for Israel to cause a “new cycle of violence” in the region, adding that the regime’s “hostile approach” threatened the future of the West Asian region.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement voiced “Saudi Arabia’s condemnation and denunciation in the strongest terms of the Israeli occupation forces’ resumption of aggression … and their direct bombardment of areas populated by unarmed civilians.”
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing was “highly concerned” about the situation, calling for parties to “avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation of the situation and prevent a larger-scale humanitarian disaster.”
The Kremlin warned of a “spiral of escalation” in the wake of Israel’s resumed strikes on Gaza.
“Especially concerning, of course, are the reports of major casualties among the civilian population,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “We are monitoring the situation very closely, and of course, we are waiting for it to return to a peaceful course.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said the reported civilian casualties from the overnight Israeli strikes were “appalling,” adding, “We want to see this ceasefire agreement re-established as soon as possible.”
The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs condemned the strikes, calling for “an immediate end to hostilities, which are jeopardizing efforts to free the hostages and threatening the lives of the civilian population in Gaza.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the Israeli strikes on the besieged territory is a “cause for great concern.”
“The images of burning tents in refugee camps are shocking. Fleeing children and internally displaced persons must never be used as leverage in negotiations,” Baerbock said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza put the prospect of a deal to release the captives at risk.
“We are following with great concern the resumption of fighting in Gaza… which jeopardizes the objectives we are all working towards: the release of all hostages and a permanent end to hostility, as well as the restoration of full humanitarian assistance in the (Gaza) Strip,” Meloni told the Italian Senate.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares censured Israel’s fresh aggression on the coastal territory and said he “can’t find the words to describe the situation in Gaza.”
“We must mourn and reject this new wave of violence and these new bombings, which indiscriminately hit the civilian population,” he said.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot wrote on X, “I call on the parties to implement the second phase of the [ceasefire] agreement, which must pave the way for reconstruction and peace for all.”
Denouncing “the new Israeli strikes and their heavy human toll,” Prevot added that Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid to Palestinians was “a serious violation of international law.”
Dutch Foreign Minister Casper Veldkamp said on X, “All hostilities must end permanently.”
“The Netherlands calls on all parties to respect the terms of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal. All civilians must be protected,” he said. “We urge all parties to implement it in full: the remaining hostages must be released, humanitarian aid must reach those in need."
