Israel likely aims to pressure Palestinian militant group Hamas into accepting its truce terms with its strikes on Gaza on Tuesday, but the escalation could also serve Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu domestically, analysts say.

The pre-dawn Israeli strikes -- by far the deadliest since a ceasefire came into effect on January 19 -- killed more than 400 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

Hamas said those killed included the head of its government in Gaza and other officials.

The January ceasefire largely halted more than 15 months of war sparked by the Islamist group's deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The truce's first phase saw the return of 33 Israeli hostages, including some who were deceased, in exchange for about 1,800 Palestinians in Israeli custody, and enabled the entry of aid into the besieged territory.

But it expired on March 1 without agreement on what a second phase would look like.

Hamas has consistently demanded negotiations........

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