Image source, EPA

With families of the hostages still in Gaza protesting against Israel's decision to resume fighting (see our last post), here's a reminder of how many people were freed as part of the first phase of the ceasefire - and how many remain.

Some 25 Israeli hostages were released, alive, between 19 January 2025 - when the long-awaited Israel-Hamas ceasefire began - and the end of February.

Among them were Eli Sharabi (shown above)and Emily Damari, a British-Israeli dual citizen who was one of the first people to be released under the deal.

Hamas also handed over the bodies of another eight hostages. Five living Thai nationals were released too - but this was part of a separate deal.

In exchange, around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli jails - images showed emotional family reunions in the occupied West Bank.

Who remains? Israel says Hamas is still holding 59 hostages - all but one who were taken during the 7 October 2023 attacks - with 24 believed to still be alive.

Image source, Reuters

Naomi Scherbel-Ball
Reporting from Jerusalem

Families of hostages have been meeting Israeli politicians in the parliament in Jerusalem, while a large crowd protests outside.

Lishi Lavie-Miran - wife of Omri Miran who was taken captive from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on 7 October - angrily told members of the Knesset that if her husband is killed "she would not be responsible for her actions" if one of them "dared to approach her".

Outside, Samuel, an army reservist and history teacher, is among those shouting for the hostages to be brought back immediately.

He says he wants to be an example for his students. "They are 18 years old, they’re going to be serving in the army in the coming months and I believe they shouldn’t be serving in this kind of war," he says.

He adds that he sees this war as political: "It’s not about Israel’s security - Benjamin Netanyahu has his own reasons for this war, and he is corrupt. We need to stop the war and bring back the hostages."

Noga Kaplan, a 22 year-old student at Hebrew University, holds a sign saying "Bibi must go".

She says that re-starting the war is "the worst thing that can happen for the hostages" and calls on the government, Hamas, and the US to continue the ceasefire agreement and the hostages exchange.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC News

Good morning from the White House, where a small trickle of reporters is starting to stream in on a day in which the world's headlines are being dominated by news from Ukraine, and Gaza.

So far, reaction from the US to the resumption of hostilities in Gaza has been relatively muted.

In a brief statement to US media outlets, National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said that "Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war".

In a Fox News interview, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also confirmed that Israeli officials notified their US counterparts about the operation.

"As President Trump has made it clear - Hamas, the Houthis, Iran and all those who seek to terrorise not just Israel, but also the United States of America, will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose," she added.

We've not, however, heard directly from President Donald Trump. There is very little on his public schedule today - although he is due to be speaking to Vladimir Putin this afternoon - but at 15:30 EDT (19:30 GMT), he's scheduled to sign executive orders.

While for now the event is closed to the press, we've often seen these events turn into extended question-and-answer sessions in the last few weeks.

We can bring you some more reactions from around the world to Israel's strikes on Gaza.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says the US has "direct responsibility" for the "continuation of genocide in the occupied Palestinian territories".

Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Tamim Khallaf says Israeli air attacks constitute "a blatant violation" of the ceasefire agreement and represent "a dangerous escalation".

Jordan has been following "Israel's aggressive and barbaric bombing of the Gaza Strip" since last night, the AFP news agency reports, citing government spokesman, Mohammed Momani, who underlines "the need to stop this aggression".

Saudi Arabia condemned Israel's bombing "areas populated by defenceless civilians", without "the slightest regard for international humanitarian law".

The EU's aid commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, calls for an end to renewed violence and a return to a ceasefire, saying civilians in Gaza have "endured unimaginable suffering".

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

The Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, led by former national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, will return to Netanyahu’s coalition government, it announced in a joint statement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party.

The far-right party announced it would leave Netanyahu's coalition in January in protest at the Gaza ceasefire.

Ben-Gvir wanted a complete military victory over Hamas, and called for a cut-off of humanitarian aid to Gaza until the hostages were released.

Ben-Gvir welcomed Israel's return to "intense fighting", following its strikes on Gaza last night.

"As we said in recent months, when we withdrew: Israel must return to fighting in Gaza: this is the right, moral, ethical and most justified step," he said in a post on X.

Image source, Reuters

It's approaching 12:30 in London and 14:30 in Gaza. If you're just joining us, here's a recap of what has happened:

• More than 400 people have been killed by Israeli air strikes on Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry - hundreds more are injured in hospitals
• After strikes began overnight, the Israel Defence Forces issued new evacuation orders in Gaza this morning - they recently released a statement saying they are continuing to strike "terror targets" across the Strip

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel would "act against Hamas with increasing military strength", accusing it of refusing to release hostages and rejecting proposals to extend the ceasefire
• Hamas accused Israel of attacking "defenceless civilians", and said mediators should hold Israel "fully responsible" for "violating and overturning" the ceasefire
• Hamas also said the US bears "responsibility for the massacres" in Gaza, after it emerged Israel briefed the US on the strikes prior to launching them
• Calls for a return to ceasefire have been mounting, with humanitarian organisations saying Gazans have "endured unimaginable suffering"
• Meanwhile, the families of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza issued a statement saying the Israeli government "chose to give up the hostages" with this latest round of strikes

We're now seeing a joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

They say they are continuing to strike "terror targets" across the Gaza Strip.

The statement adds that in the past few hours, they have hit "terrorist cells, launch posts, weapons stockpiles, and additional military infrastructure" used to "plan and execute attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers".

"At this time, the IDF and ISA are striking terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip," the statement concludes.

Image source, Reuters

Is the war resuming? Or is this a limited Israeli operation?published at 11:23 Greenwich Mean Time

11:23 GMT

From Sderot in Israel - less than a mile from Gaza - the BBC's Jon Donnison analyses what might happen next.

Image source, Reuters

BBC Arabic's Gaza Lifeline programme has been hearing from Gazans about the fresh wave of Israeli air strikes.

"Everyone was filled with fear, unsure of where to go," a man tells the programme, saying the attack happened as he woke for the pre-dawn Ramadan meal.

Another man, Essam Abu Odeh, says he was suddenly woken by the attack at 02:00 local time.

"My daughter woke me up, warning me about the bombardment. We quickly took shelter against the walls, fearing rubble might fall on us," he recalls.

Mohammed Zaquot, director general of the Gaza Strip's hospitals, says the injured include people with burns and fractures, with many still waiting for surgery.

"The attacks were so sudden that the number of medical staff available was inadequate for the scale of these large strikes, and additional teams were called in immediately to assist," he says.

Verified videos show damage across Gaza after Israeli strikespublished at 10:49 Greenwich Mean Time

10:49 GMT

By Emma Pengelly

BBC Verify has been authenticating video and images being shared on social media after Israeli airstrikes.

We have geolocated material in three locations, although the attacks are reported to have happened across the entire Gaza Strip.

In one clip, which is filmed near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the south, we hear several blasts in the distance.

In another video, a dead or unconscious girl is carried in the arms of a man towards the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza.

A third video shows a building in southern Gaza, in the outskirts of Rafah, with smoke coming from part of its upper floor.

A key part of our process is checking the material surfacing on social media is new. Each of the videos we have verified have had multiple keyframes reverse searched to ensure it is not old footage resurfacing.

Image source, Telegram

The Hamas-run health ministry has given an update on the number killed.

In a post on Telegram, it says 404 people have been killed by the Israeli air strikes.

On its Whatsapp channel, it gives a slightly higher figure of 413.

The ministry adds that some victims are still trapped under the rubble.

Image source, Reuters

In a newly released statement, Hamas says the United States "bears full responsibility for the massacres" in Gaza, after it emerged Israel briefed the US on the strikes prior to launching them.

The statement says this "exposes the falsity of its claims about caring for de-escalation".

"The international community is urged to take immediate action to hold the occupation and its supporters accountable for these crimes against humanity," it adds.

We've had an update from the Hamas-run health ministry.

Munir al-Barsh, the ministry's director general, says more than 660 injured people have arrived at hospitals.

He also says at least 326 people have been killed, and "many victims are still under the rubble". An earlier update from the ministry said at least 330 people had been killed.

He says most of the victims are women and children.

There is a severe shortage of medical facilities, with 25 out of 38 hospitals out of service, al-Barsh says.

"We are in dire need of field hospitals, beds, and operating rooms to deal with the large number of injuries and victims of the aggression," al-Barsh adds.

Hamas says four of its government officials have been killed in the Israeli air strikes, according to Hamas-affiliated media outlet, Filastin.

One of them, Mahmoud Abu Watfa, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, was reported dead earlier.

The others are Issam al-Dalis, Head of Government Work Follow-up, Ahmed al-Hatta, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice, and Bahjat Abu Sultan, Director General of the Internal Security Service.

Earlier, the Hamas-run health ministry said 330 people had been killed in total.

Image source, Reuters

We've just heard a briefing at the Israeli Foreign Ministry - spokesman Oren Marmorstein says they launched the strikes on Gaza because "Hamas repeatedly refused the proposal to extend the ceasefire and release our hostages".

"From this point forward, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military intensity," he says, echoing an earlier statement from the prime minister's office.

Marmorstein says they previously said yes to concrete proposals to extend the ceasefire, but "Hamas said no, so with no other choice" they launched the strikes on Gaza.

When asked if ceasefire talks are "dead" because of these attacks, he says the ceasefire ended two-and-a-half weeks ago.

"The ceasefire was agreed for a 42-day period. According to the agreement, there is no automatic transition between one phase to another," he says.

Here are some of the early reactions from around the world to the latest Israeli strikes on Gaza.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the country urges all sides to respect the ceasefire. "All civilians must be protected," she says

Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot condemns the strikes, calling on all sides to stick to the ceasefire: "Let's not go backwards"

China is "highly concerned" about the situation and hopes all sides "avoid taking any actions that could lead to an escalation," says foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning

Russia's spokesman Dmitry Peskov also says the situation is worrying, calling it "another spiral of escalating tensions"

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, meanwhile, is "shocked" by the strikes and "strongly appeals" for the ceasefire to be respected

We've just had new pictures from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, after Israel earlier issued evacuation orders across the Strip.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

We earlier reported a statement from Israeli hostages' families, accusing the Israeli government of choosing to "give up" hostages in Gaza by launching new strikes.

The group has now issued an "emergency call", saying they are heading to Jerusalem to protest, as they say the "hostages are in grave danger".

In a post on X, the group writes: "There is nothing more urgent than this! With each passing day, the danger to the hostages grows. Military pressure could further endanger their lives and complicate efforts to bring them home safely."

Nebal Farsakh - spokesperson for the Palestine Red Crescent, who is based in West Bank - tells BBC News they are "shocked" by the latest Israeli strikes.

One of their ambulances was indirectly hit by shelling whilst trying to reach victims, she says, and hospitals "are overwhelmed" as hundreds of injured people arrive at the same time.

The Rafah crossing into Egypt is closed today, she says, affecting patients waiting to evacuate Gaza to seek treatment.

We're now hearing from the families of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.

"The greatest fear of the families, the kidnapped, and the citizens of Israel has come true," says a statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

"The Israeli government chose to give up the hostages."

The statement expresses shock and anger at what it calls the "deliberate dismantling of the process to return our loved ones".

It says Israel and Hamas "must return to the ceasefire" and calls on US President Donald Trump, who has pledged to end the war, to "continue to act as he has declared and acted so far".

Israel has said 59 hostages are still being held in Gaza, with up to 24 believed to be alive.

This morning, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's office said today's air strikes were a response to Hamas's "repeated refusal to release our hostages", and to Hamas's "rejection of all the proposals" to extend the ceasefire.

Image source, The Hostages and Missing Families Forum / Paulina Patimer