The United States, on Tuesday (Mar 18), lashed out at Hamas, stating that the Palestinian militant group chose war by refusing to release hostages, sparking Israel's most intense strikes since the ceasefire.  

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"Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war," National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement.

This came after Hamas, on Tuesday (Mar 18), confirmed that the head of its government in the Gaza Strip, Essam al-Dalis, was among the officials killed in Israeli strikes on the besieged Palestinian enclave.

"These leaders, along with their families, were martyred after being directly targeted by the Zionist occupation forces' aircraft," said the Hamas statement.

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It further said that interior ministry head Mahmud Abu Watfa and Bahjat Abu Sultan, director-general of the internal security service, were also killed in the strikes.

Dalis, a prominent Hamas member, was elected to the movement's Gaza leadership in March 2021. Just a few months later, in June 2021, he took on the significant role of heading the Government Administrative Committee of the Gaza Strip, effectively serving as the head of government.

Israel says fighting in Gaza 'fully coordinated with Washington'

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Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said that the country's return to intense fighting in Gaza had been "fully coordinated with Washington".

"I can confirm that the return to intense fighting in Gaza has been fully coordinated with Washington. Israel has thanked President (Donald) Trump and his administration for their unyielding support for Israel," Mencer said at a press briefing.

Islamic Jihad official says group's spokesman killed in Israeli Gaza strikes 

Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group's spokesperson told news agency AFP that one of its spokesmen was killed in a wave of Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip.

"Naji Abu Saif, the spokesperson for Al-Quds Brigades, known as Abu Hamza, and his wife, Shaima Abu Saif, were martyred in an Israeli airstrike," the official said, referring to the spokesman's nom de guerre.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.