The deal, which took effect on January 19, included a ceasefire to halt the destruction inflicted on Gaza, the release of captives held in Gaza in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and the possibility for displaced Palestinians to return to their homes.

More than 200 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-ruled enclave's Ministry of Health said, as Hamas accused Israel of violating a fragile ceasefire deal.

Israel has warned that its latest onslaught in Gaza is "just the beginning" as its forces pound the enclave with deadly airstrikes and launch new ground operations. But a return to a full-scale ground war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas could prove more complicated amid waning public support,