ANKARA 

Iran strongly condemned on Tuesday renewed Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and held the US responsible for the assault.

The Israeli army pounded the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing at least 404 people, injuring hundreds, and breaking a ceasefire agreement that took effect on Jan. 19.

Images emerging from Gaza showed that the majority of the victims were civilians, including women and children, whose homes were bombed during the night.

The Israeli attacks “constitute a continuation of the crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing" committed against the Palestinians, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqae said in a statement.

He held the US administration responsible for the Israeli attacks on the Palestinians in Gaza.

The Iranian spokesman called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take “serious measures” against Israel over its assault.

More than 48,500 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli military campaign in Gaza since October 2023.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.