Israel has killed more than 150 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire came into effect on 19 January, the territory's government media office said on Saturday.
The statement came after an Israeli air strike in Beit Lahia in the northern part of the enclave killed nine people, including three journalists and other humanitarian aid workers.
"We have noticed the [Israeli] occupation's deliberate escalation of its crimes against civilians recently, targeting civilians who were collecting firewood or checking on their homes, leading to their martyrdom by Israeli army fire," the media office said.
It condemned Saturday's "heinous massacre" in Beit Lahia, confirming that the targeted crew were all civilians in an area housing a shelter and documenting the work of a charitable organisation, and not in a restricted area "or posing any kind of threat to the occupation army".
The attacks are "a continuation of the war crimes committed by the occupation against the Palestinian people and a new escalation of aggression, especially since it coincided with talks of the Israeli political echelon giving orders for a military escalation".
Tel Aviv has threatened to resume the war in Gaza as a way to pressure Hamas into accepting its terms in mediated ceasefire talks.
The ceasefire deal – mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt – has seen Hamas release dozens of Israeli and foreign captives in return for thousands of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
But while Hamas insists on beginning discussions for the second stage of the agreement, Israel has said it wants to extend the initial phase which ended at the start of March.
Despite the truce, Israel has continued to attack civilians and what it claims to be Hamas members in Gaza.
This escalation "reflects the occupation's premeditated intention to commit crimes and its disregard for international laws and conventions," said Gaza’s media office.
The statement pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not only imposed a blockade on Gaza and deprived it of its basic needs but has escalated the killing and direct targeting of civilians.
Israel has banned desperately needed humanitarian aid from entering the Palestinian enclave.
Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, Israel’s former defence minister who the prime minister fired in November last year, are wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
The Gaza government rejected all allegations by Israel and denied claims used "to justify its crime," calling on the International Court of Justice and the ICC to "take urgent action regarding the crimes committed by the occupation and its leaders".
According to a revised death toll by Gaza’s health ministry, Israel’s 15-month offensive killed over 60,000 people in the enclave, mostly women and children. More bodies could be buried beneath the rubble.
The war left much of the territory uninhabitable, destroyed critical infrastructure and battered its healthcare system.
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