Israel hit Gaza with a series of "extensive strikes" overnight Tuesday, vowing to open the "gates of hell" because Hamas has not released the remaining hostages. At least 404 Palestinians were killed in the strikes, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israel Defense Forces are targeting Hamas terrorists throughout the region.

"Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength," Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Tuesday.

The IDF announced a second wave of airstrikes took place in the early afternoon local time. Among the targets attacked were terrorist cells, launch sites, weapons and additional military infrastructure used by the terrorist organizations to plan and carry out terrorist acts, and which posed a threat to IDF forces and Israeli citizens, according to the IDF.

The first round of strikes targeted areas in Gaza including Rafah, Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat, Al-Bureij, Al-Zaytoun, Al-Karama and Beit Hanoun. The IDF's Arabic spokesperson issued a broad evacuation order covering the entire perimeter of Gaza. Residents were warned to "evacuate immediately to the known shelters in western Gaza City and those in Khan Younis."

Of the Palestinians killed overnight, 174 were children and 89 were women, according to the ministry. The human toll in Gaza had risen steadily throughout the morning, the ministry said in a series of updates. At least 562 others were injured, the ministry said.

Doctors Without Borders said it has received dozens of killed and injured at sites across Gaza.

"We woke up, at around 2am local time, to 20 minutes of airstrikes and heavy artillery, just like the past 15 months of war. We are appalled and outraged by these new unacceptable massacres of civilians," said Claire Nicolet, Doctors Without Borders's head of emergencies.

"Tonight we returned to fighting in Gaza due to Hamas' refusal to release the hostages and threats to harm IDF soldiers and Israeli communities," Katz said in a statement.

"If Hamas does not release all the hostages, the gates of hell will open in Gaza," he added.

An Israeli official told ABC News the preemptive offensive will continue "as long as necessary," and will "expand beyond air strikes."

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the "resumption of aggression against the Gaza Strip and their direct shelling of civilian areas, with no regard for international humanitarian law."

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry also issued a statement saying it "strongly condemns" the Israeli airstrikes of Gaza, which constitute a "blatant violation" of the ceasefire and represents a "dangerous escalation. That threatens to have severe consequences for the stability of the region."

The strikes targeted Hamas' mid-ranking military commanders, leadership officials and infrastructure, the official said.

"⁠The IDF is prepared and spread out in all arenas, both in personnel manning the borders and the Aerial Defence Array," the official added.

Netanyahu and Katz said the changes to the IDF's defensive guidelines come after Hamas "rejected all offers" on a conclusive hostage deal with Steve Witkoff, the U.S.'s special envoy to the Middle East.

Hamas said in a statement Tuesday that overturning the ceasefire agreement and the series of strikes put "the prisoners in Gaza at an unknown fate."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an appearance on Fox News that the Trump administration was consulted by Israeli officials on their decision to strike Gaza.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump took to his social media to threaten Hamas with a "last warning" about the remaining hostages.

Trump wrote on Truth Social on March 7 that "it will be OVER" for Hamas if it does not comply.

"I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don't do as I say," he added.

Witkoff reiterated the president's threat at the time, saying, "I wouldn't test President Trump."

Fifty-nine hostages are believed to remain in Gaza -- 24 of whom are presumed to be alive. Edan Alexander is the last American-Israeli hostage to remain alive in captivity.

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UN rights chief 'horrified' by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza

The U.N. human rights chief said on Tuesday he was horrified by Israeli strikes on Gaza which Palestinian authorities say have killed hundreds of people, threatening the complete collapse of a ceasefire with Hamas.

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had told the military to take "strong action" against Hamas in response to the group's refusal to release the remaining hostages and because of their rejection of ceasefire proposals.

"I am horrified by last night's Israeli airstrikes and shelling in Gaza, which killed hundreds, according to the Ministry of Health in the strip. This will add tragedy onto tragedy," High Commissioner Volker Turk said in a statement.

"Israel's resort to yet more military force will only heap further misery upon a Palestinian population already suffering catastrophic conditions."

Ajith Sunghay, head of the U.N. Human Rights office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, called the resumption of Israeli bombardments tragic after a two-month respite in the conflict that began on October 7, 2023, with a Hamas-led assault on Israel.

"We're again seeing the scenes of mutilated bodies of children and bodies wrapped in shrouds," he told a Geneva press briefing. "It is unacceptable, even unimaginable, to once again, find ourselves talking about this instead of supporting a path towards meaningful recovery and sustainable peace."

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