Palestinians salvage items from a destroyed house in the Shujaiya district in eastern Gaza City on March 18, 2025. Photo: VCG

Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early on Tuesday, saying it was striking dozens of Hamas targets, in its heaviest assault in the territory since a cease-fire took effect in January, according to the AP. At least 412 people were killed, Xinhua News Agency reported. 

 Israeli airstrikes killed several senior officials in the Hamas-run government during the strikes early Tuesday, Palestinian security and medical sources said, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

In response to a question regarding the current situation in Gaza, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday that China is closely following the ongoing situation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We hope parties will work to enable the continuous and effective implementation of the cease-fire agreement, refrain from any escalatory action and prevent further deepening the humanitarian disaster, Mao said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in ongoing talks to extend the cease-fire. Officials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand, the AP reported.

"Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength," Netanyahu's office said, according to the report. 

Many of those killed in the attacks were children, Al Jazeera reported, citing Gaza's Ministry of Health.

The military action by Israel highlights the inherent fragility and instability of the negotiation process, Zhu Yongbiao, director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at Lanzhou University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. At present, it appears that Israel may adopt a more resolute stance and take firmer action against Hamas. This could potentially lead to a further escalation of the conflict, Zhu said.

Israel's actions and statements indicate that the two sides have not reached an agreement on the new cease-fire proposal. Against this backdrop, Israel is attempting to pressure Hamas into accepting the proposal through military strikes, Niu Xinchun, executive director of the China-Arab Research Institute of Ningxia University, told Jiefang Daily. 

Israel informed the US about its latest attack on Gaza before it happened, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Al Jazeera reported.

Niu pointed out that unlike former US president Biden, who constrained Israel, the current US president encourages Israel to take military action. These changes are undoubtedly a great source of encouragement for Israel, according to Jiefang Daily.

If the violent conflict continues, there is a heightened risk of increased civilian casualties and a worsening humanitarian crisis, Zhu warned.