TEL AVIV — The fires from the gates of hell that President Donald Trump had long threatened to unleash on Hamas happened in the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, with a massive surprise Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip that effectively ended a two-month ceasefire between the sides.

The Trump administration okayed the decision in advance.

The fighter jets and naval gunboats that fired mostly at the southern part of the enclave targeted mid-level Hamas officials and armed militia commanders as well as weapons and ammunition stores. The Palestinian Ministry of Health run by Hamas reported over 400 fatalities, including children.

Israel explained that its decision to launch the attacks was intended to force Hamas to release the hostages it still holds in Gaza after weeks of mediated negotiations with the group failed to yield results. The attacks were also designed to foil what Israel sees as increasing indications of Hamas rearming and strengthening its forces, enabled by the Jan. 19 ceasefire. Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, say recent indications include Hamas plans to strike Israeli troops and residents of Gaza border communities, some of whom have returned home in recent months after being forced to flee the Hamas incursion of Oct. 7, 2023.